AI / ML Engineer Salary in Minnesota (2026)
The average AI / ML Engineer in Minnesota earns around $220,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $149,019/year ($12,418/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $149,019 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $12,418 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $5,732 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $72/hr |
Federal Tax | $41,704 |
State Tax | $14,468 |
FICA Taxes | $14,809 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 32.26% |
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Read the guideAI / ML Engineer Salary Ranges in Minnesota
Not all AI / ML Engineers earn the same — not even close
Minnesota's AI/ML engineer market is anchored by UnitedHealth Optum Minnetonka (~25K MN, substantial healthcare AI across Optum's claims + clinical decision + risk-adjustment ML organizations), Target HQ Minneapolis (Target.com personalization + computer vision in stores + supply-chain optimization ML), Cargill Wayzata commodity-trading AI + ag-supply-chain ML at the country's largest private company by revenue, Mayo Clinic Platform + Mayo Clinic AI Lab Rochester (top-2 US academic clinical AI development), and 3M industrial R&D AI across abrasives + medical + safety divisions.
Principal ML Engineer / Director
$265,000–$465,000+ TC
UHG Optum + Target + Cargill principal · senior IC + ML platform leadership
Senior ML Engineer (Healthcare AI)
$175,000–$265,000
UHG Optum AI + HealthPartners + Medtronic device AI · HIPAA + clinical AI specialty
Senior ML Engineer (Retail / Personalization)
$165,000–$245,000
Target.com personalization + Best Buy recommendation systems + Buick GMC + Cub
Senior ML Engineer (Commodity / Trading)
$175,000–$285,000
Cargill trading AI + CHS + Land O'Lakes · forecasting + RL trading systems specialty
Senior Research Scientist (Mayo Clinic AI)
$165,000–$265,000
Mayo Clinic Platform + Mayo Clinic AI Lab · radiology + cardiology + oncology imaging
Senior ML Engineer (Industrial / R&D)
$155,000–$225,000
3M materials AI + Medtronic device AI + Honeywell sensor AI · MS/PhD typical
ML Platform / MLOps Engineer
$155,000–$235,000
UHG + Target + Cargill MLOps platforms · model deployment + monitoring + governance specialty
Mid-Level ML Engineer (3-6 yrs)
$118,000–$175,000
Functional ML IC at MN Fortune 500 · transitioning to senior band
Junior ML Engineer (0-3 yrs)
$92,000–$135,000
U of MN CSE + GroupLens + MSDS pipeline · Carleton + Macalester CS feeders · entry band
Senior ML Engineer (Remote, MN-based)
$215,000–$385,000+ TC
FAANG MN remote + Anthropic + OpenAI remote MN · MSP-airport hub advantageous for travel
Worth knowing: Mayo Clinic Platform is the deepest academic clinical-AI employer in the upper Midwest and an anchor most national ML surveys miss for MN. Mayo Clinic Platform (launched 2020) is Mayo Clinic Rochester's central AI + digital health unit, including Mayo Clinic AI Lab — Mayo's clinical AI publications consistently rank among the most cited in healthcare AI globally, including substantial radiology + cardiology + oncology imaging AI development partnerships (Google + nference + Cerebras among major partners). Senior Mayo AI scientists clear $165-265K TC. UnitedHealth Optum AI Minnetonka operates the country's largest healthcare AI engineering organization including substantial GenAI + clinical decision support + claims-automation AI at Fortune 5 scale. Cargill commodity-trading AI rivals top hedge funds in scope — agricultural + ocean freight + sugar + cocoa forecasting + RL trading systems at $165B-revenue scale. MN's 9.85% top bracket catches senior ML engineers at $250K+ TC — substantial drag vs SD/TX/FL residency. MN does NOT have preferential rates, affecting any ML engineer with material employer-equity vesting (FAANG remote especially).
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More on Minnesota
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Minnesota in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Minnesota in 2026.
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