How much does a AI / ML Engineer make in Wisconsin?

The average AI / ML Engineer salary in Wisconsin is around $220,000 per year. After federal taxes, FICA, and Wisconsin state taxes, your estimated take-home pay is approximately $152,468 annually ($12,706/month).

What is the take-home pay for a AI / ML Engineer in Wisconsin?

On a $220,000 salary in Wisconsin, your take-home pay is approximately $152,468/year or $12,706/month. Federal tax: $41,704. State tax: $11,019. FICA: $14,809.

Is $220,000 a good AI / ML Engineer salary?

$220,000 is a strong salary for a AI / ML Engineer — above the national median. In Wisconsin, demand for this role is active.

How do Wisconsin taxes affect AI / ML Engineer salaries?

Wisconsin levies state income tax on top of federal taxes. Your estimated state tax on $220,000 is $11,019. Your total effective tax rate is approximately 30.7%.

What are the career growth prospects for AI / ML Engineers?

BLS projects 23% growth through 2032 for computer/info-research scientists (which AI/ML engineers fall under) — among the fastest-growing tech roles. Frontier-lab demand uniquely strong — OpenAI / Anthropic / xAI / Mistral / DeepMind hiring at premium tiers $300K-$700K base alone for senior MLE, plus equity 1.5x-3x base.. Related roles include: Machine Learning Engineer, AI Research Scientist, Applied Scientist, Deep Learning Engineer, NLP Engineer, Computer Vision Engineer, MLE, AI Engineer, Quant ML Engineer.

How can a AI / ML Engineer in Wisconsin reduce their tax bill?

Maximize your 401(k) contribution ($24,500 in 2026) to reduce taxable income. An HSA ($4,400 single / $8,750 family) adds further pre-tax savings. These strategies can save thousands annually — use our calculator to see your exact savings.

Tech

AI / ML Engineer Salary in Wisconsin (2026)

Average AI / ML Engineer pay in Wisconsin

$220,000/year

≈ $106/hour before tax

After tax (single filer)

$152,468/year

$12,706/month · effective tax rate 30.7%

Federal $41,704
State $11,019
FICA $14,809
Take-home

Pay by role in Wisconsin

Principal ML Engineer / Director$235,000–$425,000+ TC
Senior ML Engineer (Clinical AI / Epic)$155,000–$245,000
Senior ML Engineer (Genomics)$165,000–$255,000
Senior ML Engineer (Insurance)$145,000–$215,000
Senior ML Engineer (Industrial AI)$135,000–$200,000
Senior Research Scientist (UW-Madison)$135,000–$215,000

See all 10 roles with notes

See the full tax breakdown

Category	Amount
Annual Take-Home Pay	$152,468
Monthly Take-Home Pay	$12,706
Biweekly Take-Home Pay	$5,864
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year	$73/hr
Federal Tax	$41,704
State Tax	$11,019
FICA Taxes	$14,809
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary	30.7%

Estimates only — not tax advice. · Full disclaimer →

Not all AI / ML Engineers earn the same — not even close

Wisconsin's AI/ML engineer market is anchored by Epic Systems Verona (substantial clinical AI + Cosmos research + Epic-Microsoft + Epic-Nuance GenAI partnership for clinical documentation AI, ~12K employees), Exact Sciences Madison (genomic + cancer-detection ML at $2.5B-revenue scale), American Family Insurance Madison (insurance + telematics ML), Rockwell Automation Milwaukee (industrial IoT + predictive maintenance ML), Foxconn Mount Pleasant Wisconn Valley (LCD + server manufacturing AI), plus UW-Madison Wisconsin Institute for Discovery + Morgridge Institute for Research academic AI.

Principal ML Engineer / Director

$235,000–$425,000+ TC

Epic Principal · Exact Sciences Director · American Family ML Director · senior IC + leadership

Senior ML Engineer (Clinical AI / Epic)

$155,000–$245,000

Epic Cosmos + Epic-Microsoft GenAI partnership · clinical documentation + decision support AI

Senior ML Engineer (Genomics)

$165,000–$255,000

Exact Sciences · Cologuard + Oncotype DX · cancer-detection + molecular ML · MS/PhD typical

Senior ML Engineer (Insurance)

$145,000–$215,000

American Family + Northwestern Mutual + CUNA Mutual · actuarial + claims + telematics ML

Senior ML Engineer (Industrial AI)

$135,000–$200,000

Rockwell Automation · Johnson Controls · industrial IoT + predictive maintenance + edge ML

Senior Research Scientist (UW-Madison)

$135,000–$215,000

UW-Madison Wisconsin Institute for Discovery · Morgridge Institute · academic ML · publication track

ML Platform / MLOps Engineer

$135,000–$215,000

Epic + Exact Sciences + American Family MLOps · model deployment + monitoring + governance

Mid-Level ML Engineer (3-6 yrs)

$108,000–$155,000

Functional ML IC at WI Fortune 500 · transitioning to senior band

Junior ML Engineer (0-3 yrs)

$85,000–$125,000

UW-Madison CS + Statistics + Marquette CS + UWM pipeline · entry band

Senior ML Engineer (Remote, WI-based)

$185,000–$365,000+ TC

FAANG WI remote + Anthropic + OpenAI remote · MKE-airport hub for travel

Worth knowing: Epic Systems' clinical AI development is the country's largest healthcare-specific GenAI deployment program and a feature most national ML surveys miss for WI. The Epic-Microsoft strategic partnership announced 2023 (Epic + Azure OpenAI integration for clinical documentation AI + automated chart summarization + In Basket AI message drafting) plus the Epic-Nuance DAX partnership represent the largest US healthcare GenAI deployment by user count — Epic AI features now reach ~78% of US hospital beds running Epic EHR. Senior Epic AI engineers clear $155-245K TC including base + bonus + Epic profit-sharing equivalent. Exact Sciences Madison (~$2.5B revenue, the country's largest cancer-detection diagnostic company) operates substantial molecular + genomic ML across Cologuard (colorectal cancer screening, the country's #1 stool-based test by volume) + Oncotype DX (breast cancer prognosis) + other emerging cancer-detection products. American Family Insurance Madison operates substantial telematics + IoT-data underwriting ML — among the country's largest auto + home telematics data programs. UW-Madison's Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (founded 2010, ~$200M + facility, ~250 researchers) + Morgridge Institute for Research support substantial academic AI research. WI's 7.65% top bracket catches senior ML engineers at $300K+ TC but is substantially lower than MN's 9.85% top.

Sources & Methodology

Salary figures are market estimates for AI / ML Engineers in Wisconsin and vary by employer, specialty, seniority, and metro. Take-home math assumes a single filer with no dependents, the standard deduction, and Wisconsin 2026 state rates. Local taxes, insurance premiums, and pre-tax contributions will move your number — run the calculator for your own situation.