AI / ML Engineer Salary in Pennsylvania (2026)
Average AI / ML Engineer pay in Pennsylvania
$131,430/year
≈ $63/hour before tax
Middle 50% earn $104,640–$150,950
US average: $153,930
Source: BLS, May 2025 · Computer and Information Research Scientists
After tax (single filer)
$97,064/year
$8,089/month · effective tax rate 26.15%
- Federal $20,277
- State $4,035
- FICA $10,054
- Take-home
Pay by role in Pennsylvania
- Principal ML Engineer / Senior Scientist$245,000–$425,000+ TC
- Senior ML Engineer (Robotics / Autonomy)$185,000–$315,000
- Senior ML Engineer (Healthcare)$155,000–$240,000
- Senior ML Engineer (Media / Cable)$165,000–$255,000
- Senior ML Engineer (Quant Finance)$185,000–$305,000
- Senior MLOps Engineer$145,000–$225,000
See the full tax breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $97,064 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $8,089 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $3,733 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $47/hr |
Federal Tax | $20,277 |
State Tax | $4,035 |
FICA Taxes | $10,054 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 26.15% |
Not all AI / ML Engineers earn the same — not even close
Pennsylvania has emerged as a substantial US AI/ML hub anchored by Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh (the country's top-ranked CS program, particularly strong in robotics + ML + AI; CMU's School of Computer Science feeds substantial AI talent globally), the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering + Wharton's AI for Business, Comcast HQ Philadelphia (substantial recommendation + content + Xfinity Mobile AI), Vanguard Malvern (quantitative investment ML), UPMC Pittsburgh (~95K employees, substantial healthcare AI research), plus Argo AI legacy (now Latitude AI post-2022 wind-down) + Aurora Innovation Pittsburgh autonomous vehicles.
Principal ML Engineer / Senior Scientist
$245,000–$425,000+ TC
CMU-adjacent senior · Comcast senior AI · Vanguard senior quant · UPMC senior research · top-tier comp
Senior ML Engineer (Robotics / Autonomy)
$185,000–$315,000
Aurora Innovation Pittsburgh autonomous trucks · Locomation · Carnegie Robotics · CMU NREC alumni
Senior ML Engineer (Healthcare)
$155,000–$240,000
UPMC + Penn Medicine + CHOP research · clinical AI + computational biology · NIH-funded specialty
Senior ML Engineer (Media / Cable)
$165,000–$255,000
Comcast Xfinity recommendation · NBCUniversal content AI · Sky European broadband · senior IC
Senior ML Engineer (Quant Finance)
$185,000–$305,000
Vanguard quantitative investment ML · Susquehanna International · BlackRock Pittsburgh · senior quant
Senior MLOps Engineer
$145,000–$225,000
Production ML deployment · Comcast streaming pipelines · UPMC research · senior platform IC
ML Engineer (Mid-Level, 3-6 yrs)
$125,000–$190,000
Most common mid-career band · CMU + Penn + Pitt + Drexel + Penn State pipeline · cross-industry
Junior ML Engineer (0-3 yrs)
$98,000–$155,000
Post-CMU + Penn + Pitt + Drexel MS/PhD · top entry band given CMU pipeline · industry recruits aggressively
Senior CMU NREC Robotics Engineer
$175,000–$295,000
CMU National Robotics Engineering Center · industry-sponsored research · senior engineering scientist
Senior Research Scientist (CMU / Penn / Pitt)
$165,000–$285,000
Industry-funded academic research · CMU SCS · Penn CIS · Pitt CS senior research staff
Worth knowing: Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science is the structural depth feature most national AI/ML-career surveys understate for PA. CMU SCS is consistently ranked the #1 US computer science program (especially in AI + ML + Robotics + HCI), with substantial industry partnership through the CMU NREC (National Robotics Engineering Center), CMU CyLab, and the Software Engineering Institute (SEI). CMU's robotics research has spawned substantial Pittsburgh autonomous vehicle activity — Argo AI legacy (Ford + VW-backed, wound down 2022 with substantial Aurora Innovation absorption), Aurora Innovation Pittsburgh (autonomous trucking commercialization, ~1K Pittsburgh employees post-2021 SPAC IPO), Locomation, plus Carnegie Robotics. Senior Pittsburgh autonomous-vehicle ML engineers + robotics engineers clear $185-315K TC. Comcast HQ Philadelphia operates substantial Xfinity recommendation + content AI + Sky AI engineering organizations. Vanguard Malvern (~$8T+ AUM, the country's largest mutual fund firm by AUM) operates substantial quantitative investment ML. UPMC Pittsburgh (~95K employees) plus Penn Medicine + CHOP create substantial NIH-funded computational biology + clinical AI research. PA state non-conformity affects active-career income — Roth 401(k) is structural workaround. PA does NOT tax retirement distributions — favorable late-career math.
Sources & Methodology
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 — 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction
- →IRS Notice 2025-67 — 2026 retirement-plan contribution limits
- →IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-19 — 2026 HSA contribution limits
- →Social Security Administration — 2026 Social Security wage base
- →PA-40 Personal Income Tax Forms (PA Department of Revenue)
- →BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — AI / ML Engineer wage data for Pennsylvania
Salary figures are market estimates for AI / ML Engineers in Pennsylvania and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and Pennsylvania 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.
Run your own numbers
- Pennsylvania paycheck calculator → · 401(k), HSA, dependents
- RSU calculator → · flat 22% withholding often falls short
- ISO / AMT calculator → · option exercises and AMT
- Capital-gains calculator → · long-term rates, NIIT, state tax
Frequently Asked Questions
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More on Pennsylvania
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for Pennsylvania in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for Pennsylvania in 2026.
Adjust filing status, 401(k), and city/county tax for your exact 2026 take-home in Pennsylvania.