AI / ML Engineer Salary in West Virginia (2026)
The average AI / ML Engineer in West Virginia earns around $220,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $153,936/year ($12,828/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $153,936 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $12,828 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $5,921 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $74/hr |
Federal Tax | $41,704 |
State Tax | $9,551 |
FICA Taxes | $14,809 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 30.03% |
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Read the guideAI / ML Engineer Salary Ranges in West Virginia
Not all AI / ML Engineers earn the same — not even close
West Virginia's AI/ML engineering market is anchored by FBI CJIS Clarksburg (criminal justice AI + biometric matching + NICS firearms analytics), NIOSH Morgantown (occupational health AI + black lung detection + respirator certification ML), NETL Morgantown (DOE energy systems AI + CCUS modeling + Marcellus shale prediction), WVU Medicine clinical AI (decision support + radiology AI + opioid epidemiology), WVU School of Public Health Appalachian health ML, WVU Statler College of Engineering AI/ML research, plus cleared federal contractor + FAANG remote opportunities filling on WV cost of living advantage.
Staff / Principal ML Engineer (FBI CJIS / NETL / WVU)
$165,000–$285,000+ TC
Senior ML IC at WV cleared federal + academic research
Senior ML Engineer (Cleared / FBI CJIS Biometric)
$135,000–$215,000
FBI CJIS · biometric matching + facial recognition + IAFIS · TS/SCI + poly premium
Senior ML Engineer (Federal / NETL / NIOSH)
$118,000–$182,000
NETL CCUS modeling + NIOSH occupational health ML · GS-13/14 federal + contractor
Senior ML Engineer (Clinical / WVU Medicine)
$115,000–$172,000
WVU Medicine + CAMC + WVU Cancer · clinical decision support + radiology AI
Senior ML Engineer (Academic Research)
$95,000–$148,000
WVU Statler + WVU Public Health + Marshall research · NSF + NIH + DoD-funded
Senior ML Engineer (Energy / Marcellus)
$118,000–$185,000
Diversified Energy + Antero + EQT · Marcellus shale prediction + well production ML
ML Engineering Manager
$155,000–$255,000+ TC
EM at WV cleared contractors + WVU + healthcare · team lead
Mid-Level ML Engineer (3-6 yrs)
$82,000–$125,000
Functional IC at WV major employers · transitioning to senior band
Junior ML Engineer (0-3 yrs)
$62,000–$88,000
WVU + Marshall + WV State + WV Tech pipeline · entry band
Senior ML Engineer (Remote, WV-based)
$135,000–$235,000+ TC
FAANG WV remote · Anthropic · OpenAI · WV cost of living + MGW + CRW airports
Worth knowing: FBI CJIS Division Clarksburg biometric ML is the country's most distinctive concentrated US federal criminal-justice ML operations and a feature most national AI/ML surveys understate for WV. FBI CJIS Biometric Services (the substantial FBI Next Generation Identification NGI system + the substantial FBI Biometric Center of Excellence + the substantial post-2014 IAFIS-to-NGI transition + the FBI facial recognition + fingerprint matching + palmprint + iris recognition + the substantial FBI Biometric Services partnerships with DHS + DoD + State Department + the substantial FBI CJIS Biometric Identity Services cleared contractor workforce) supports substantial cleared ML engineering work. Senior cleared FBI CJIS biometric ML engineers clear $135-215K + TS/SCI + poly premium. NETL Morgantown CCUS modeling + Marcellus shale prediction + the substantial DOE national lab AI/ML investment supports substantial federal energy ML. NIOSH Morgantown occupational health ML (the substantial NIOSH coal worker pneumoconiosis surveillance ML + the substantial NIOSH respirator certification ML + the substantial NIOSH Mining Program ML) supports substantial federal occupational health ML. WVU Medicine clinical AI (the only WV academic medical center + the substantial WVU radiology AI + opioid prescription ML + WVU Cancer Institute precision oncology ML + WVU Heart and Vascular Institute clinical decision support) supports substantial healthcare ML. The substantial WV Marcellus + Utica shale gas operations ML at Diversified Energy + EQT + Antero + Southwestern (WV is country's #4 US natural gas producer) supports substantial energy ML. WV progressive 2.36-5.12% top by 2026 + WV RTW since 2016 + WV property tax ~0.55% + no state estate tax + lower WV cost of living anchor the WV AI/ML proposition.
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More on West Virginia
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for West Virginia in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for West Virginia in 2026.
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