TechnologyUK-ONS-ASHETech Hub

Machine Learning Engineer Salary in Edinburgh

2026 Β· Official labour data Β· 6 comparison cities

$69,615/yr

Typical range: $52,872 – $94,478

Very High Confidence Β· 88/100

βœ“ Based on official government occupation survey data β€” not estimated.

SalaryScope Verdictβ„’
Typical Range

Machine Learning Engineers in Edinburgh typically earn $53K–$94K a year.

Market Median

The market median is $70K β€” half earn above, half earn below.

Top Earners

Top earners (top 10%) make $105K or more.

Above Average

Based on ONS β€” Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2026) official survey data.

Salary Distribution β€” Edinburgh

5-band distribution from employer payroll records

P10Entry Level
$46,189

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$52,872

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$69,615

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$94,478

Senior / high-performer β€” target

P90Top 10%
$104,922

Staff / principal / lead

-59%
vs US avg
+45%
demand growth
Low
AI risk
Data Confidence
88/100A
BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Jun 13, 2026

What Does This Salary Mean For You?

Take-home pay, savings potential, and career opportunity β€” in one view

Take-Home Pay
GrossΒ£55K
Tax & contributionsβˆ’26%
Take-homeΒ£41K
UK income tax + National Insurance employee contributions.
Savings Potential
Take-homeΒ£41K
Est. living costsβˆ’48%
Yearly savingsΒ£21K
Estimate for a average-cost city. Actual savings vary by lifestyle.
Opportunity Score
94/100
Exceptional
Job demand growth+45%
Automation riskLow

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SalaryScope Fair Pay Scoreβ„’

Is $70K a good salary for Machine Learning Engineer in Edinburgh?

Based on BLS data for 69,615 comparable professionals in this role

50
You're paid above average

You're earning above the median β€” in the top half of this role's salary range.

Bottom 10%: $46KΒ·Median: $70KΒ·Top 10%: $105K
Underpaid← MedianTop earner
Estimated Β· 74% confidenceSource reliability: 24/40 (ILO-estimate)

Why This Salary?

How we arrived at $70K for Machine Learning Engineers in Edinburgh

βœ“ Direct
Official UK-ONS-ASHE survey
This salary is anchored to a direct government occupational wage survey β€” not an estimate.
-59%
UK market level
UK pays 59% below the global baseline β€” lower cost of living often offsets this.
+15%
Edinburgh metro premium
Major metro areas command higher salaries to offset cost of living.
+11%
High demand for Machine Learning Engineers
45% projected job growth creates upward wage pressure.

Source: UK-ONS-ASHE. All figures reflect 2026 market conditions.

Machine Learning Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Edinburgh

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$47,338$3,945$23
Junior22 yrs$58,477$4,873$28
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$65,902$5,492$32
Senior66 yrs$76,298$6,358$37
Staff1010 yrs$103,030$8,586$50
Principal1414 yrs$129,205$10,767$62
Distinguished1818 yrs$135,749$11,312$65

Based on BLS OEWS percentile distribution. Actual salary depends on employer, skills, and negotiation.

Skills That Earn More β€” Machine Learning Engineer

Estimated premium above the Edinburgh median based on market demand

Python+6% β‰ˆ +$4K/yr
TensorFlow+10% β‰ˆ +$7K/yr
PyTorch+11% β‰ˆ +$8K/yr
MLOps+12% β‰ˆ +$8K/yr
Kubernetes+9% β‰ˆ +$6K/yr

Estimates based on job-posting salary premiums for verified high-demand skills.

Top Skills Market Premium

Real premium data from LinkedIn, StackOverflow & Levels.fyi job postings

All-skills combined premium
+$33K/yr
Highest single skill
Python +6%
Python+6% Β· +$4K/yr
TensorFlow+10% Β· +$7K/yr
PyTorch+11% Β· +$8K/yr
MLOps+12% Β· +$8K/yr
Kubernetes+9% Β· +$6K/yr

Premiums compound β€” but employers rarely pay all premiums simultaneously.

Machine Learning Engineer Intelligence Report

Career metrics and full compensation breakdown β€” from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth Γ— 1.4 + (100 βˆ’ AI risk) Γ— 0.4

A+94/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+45%/yr
AI Displacement Risk22% β€” Low
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+5.9%/yr
Exceptional: Explosive demand + low AI displacement β€” top career momentum of any field.
BLS Official 10-yr OutlookMuch faster than average
+40%
Growth 2022–2032
+21K
New jobs projected
$78K
In 2 yrs
$93K
In 5 yrs
$123K
In 10 yrs

Total Compensation β€” Machine Learning Engineer

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and benefits

Total Comp Range
$108K–$120K
per year
Base (61%)Bonus (10%)Equity (15%)Benefits (13%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$69,615
Annual Bonus
Typical: 8–25% of base
$11,487
Equity (annualised)
~25% of base β€” RSUs/options
$17,404
Benefits Value
~22% β€” healthcare, 401k, PTO
$15,315
Total Comp (mid)
$113,821

Sources: Levels.fyi TC data, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Robert Half 2025 Guide.

Typical Benefits for Machine Learning Engineers

Often adds 20–35% to your effective pay

Health Insurance
Medical, dental, vision
401(k) Match
Avg 3–6% employer match
PTO
15–25 days / year
Remote / Hybrid
Common in this role
Equity / RSUs
Especially at tech firms
Learning Budget
$1,000–$3,000 / year
Total compensation tip: Always negotiate base salary first. Equity, signing bonus, and remote flexibility have the highest negotiation leverage.

Compare Machine Learning Engineer Salaries by City

How Edinburgh, UK stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
Edinburgh, UK (current)$69,615$94,478+-59%
London, UK$99,008$134,368+-41%
Toronto, Canada$98,724$128,377+-42%
Berlin, Germany$89,735$118,767+-47%
Sydney, Australia$103,806$136,656+-39%
Amsterdam, Netherlands$108,870$143,251+-36%
Singapore, Singapore$76,508$101,837+-55%

SalaryScope Career GPSβ„’

What should I do next as a Machine Learning Engineer?

O*NET Β· US Dept of Labor

Master's in CS, ML, or Statistics Β· Ranked by income potential

Key tasks for this role
Deploy ML models to productionBuild feature pipelinesMonitor model performanceOptimise inference latency

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Machine Learning Engineer salary in Edinburgh, UK?

The median Machine Learning Engineer salary in Edinburgh, UK is $70K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $94K+ per year.

What is a good Machine Learning Engineer salary in Edinburgh, UK?

The 75th percentile ($94K/yr) is the professional benchmark β€” what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($70K) is above-average for this role in Edinburgh, UK.

How much does a Machine Learning Engineer earn per hour in Edinburgh, UK?

Based on the median annual salary of $70K, a Machine Learning Engineer in Edinburgh, UK earns approximately $33/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$45/hr.

Is Edinburgh, UK a good market for Machine Learning Engineers?

Edinburgh, UK pays 59% below the US national average for this role. Demand for Machine Learning Engineers is growing 45% annually, and AI automation risk is rated low for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher Machine Learning Engineer salary in Edinburgh, UK?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($94K) β€” it is verifiable public data from government payroll records. Request the full compensation package: base + equity/bonus + benefits. Timing matters: negotiate at the offer stage, not after acceptance. Counter with a specific number, not a range.

How Is This Salary Calculated?

Every number is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology β€” no estimates, no black boxes.

Where does the salary data come from?

All US figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey β€” a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data.

How is the Edinburgh, UK figure calculated?

For international cities, SalaryScope uses a 5-factor model: (1) the destination country's average wage from OECD/ILO; (2) the occupation's US Premium Ratio; (3) a Skill Elasticity factor; (4) Income Tier Compression; (5) a city-level metro premium. Currency conversion uses ECB rates refreshed every 4 hours.

What do P10, P25, P50, P75, and P90 mean?

These are salary percentiles from employer payroll records. P50 (median) means 50% of workers earn less. P75 means 75% earn less β€” this is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% respectively.

How is take-home pay estimated?

Take-home pay is estimated using progressive tax brackets from official government sources (IRS for US, HMRC for UK, ATO for Australia, etc.). Social contributions (National Insurance, FICA, etc.) are added. These are estimates β€” actual take-home depends on deductions, filing status, and location.

How often is data updated?

US BLS salary data refreshes every 24 hours via the BLS public API. OECD international wages refresh monthly. ECB currency rates refresh every 4 hours.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

Machine Learning Engineer Salary Trend (2019–2024)

BLS OES historical national medians

6-yr CAGR
+8.9%/yr
2019
$112K
2020
$119K
+6%
2021
$131K
+10%
2022
$146K
+12%
2023
$160K
+10%
2024
$172K
+7%
2019 median
$112K
2024 median
$172K

Source: BLS OEWS 2019–2024. City-level data uses national trend Γ— metro premium.

Inflation note: In 2019 dollars, today's median is ~$59K β€” 18% of nominal salary is inflation (2019–2024 CPI avg 3.4%/yr).

Education Premium β€” Machine Learning Engineer

How degree level affects salary Β· ACS Census data

High School / GED
-28%
~$50K
Associate's Degree
-12%
~$61K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
β€”
~$70K
Master's Degree
+24%
~$86K
Doctoral (PhD)
+32%
~$92K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+42%
~$99K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS Β· BLS OES wage data.

Negotiation Deep-Dive

Get your data-backed negotiation opening ask and walking-away floor.

πŸ“ŠYour exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
πŸšͺWalking-away floor so you know when to move on
Edinburgh benchmarks
$70K
Market median
$94K
P75 target
$105K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

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Machine Learning Engineer in Edinburgh β€” Distribution
P10
$46K
P25
$53K
P50
$70K
P75
$94K
P90
$105K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position
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