TechnologyBLS OESTech Hub100/100 · Grade A+BLS.OEWS.2026.v2WA Pay Transparency Law

MLOps Engineer Salary in Seattle, WA

2026 · BLS OEWS · 1.1M employer payroll records · Updated daily

Median salary
$236,379
per year
P75 target
$297,257
negotiation anchor
Hourly rate
$114/hr
2,080 hr/yr baseline
+41%
vs US avg
+52%
demand growth
Low
AI risk

Salary Distribution — Seattle

P10Entry Level
$152,865

New graduates, 0–1 yr exp

P2525th Percentile
$187,969

1–3 years experience

P50Median
$236,379

3–7 years, typical professional

P7575th Percentile
$297,257

Senior / high-performer — target

P90Top 10%
$365,518

Staff / principal / lead

Data Confidence
100/100A+
Government earnings data30/30

Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS federal authority

BLS Spring 2026 release40/40

1mo since last update

Multi-city cross-validation16/16

8 cities validated

Full percentile coverage14/14

P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 + hourly rate

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2Updated Jun 12, 2026

MLOps Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Seattle

How compensation grows from entry-level through staff / lead

Experience LevelYearsPercentileAnnual SalaryMonthlyHourly
Entry00 yrs$160,738$13,395$77
Junior22 yrs$198,558$16,547$95
Mid-LevelTypical44 yrs$223,772$18,648$108
Senior66 yrs$259,071$21,589$125
Staff1010 yrs$349,841$29,153$168
Principal1414 yrs$438,719$36,560$211
Distinguished1818 yrs$460,939$38,412$222

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

Skills That Earn More — MLOps Engineer

Estimated premium above the Seattle median based on market demand

MLflow+4% ≈ +$9K/yr
Kubernetes+9% ≈ +$21K/yr
Python+6% ≈ +$14K/yr
Feature Stores+4% ≈ +$9K/yr
Model Monitoring+4% ≈ +$9K/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
+$64K/yr
Highest single skill
MLflow +4%
MLflow+4% · +$9K/yr
Kubernetes+9% · +$21K/yr
Python+6% · +$14K/yr
Feature Stores+4% · +$9K/yr
Model Monitoring+4% · +$9K/yr

Premiums represent verified market uplift for each skill based on job posting analysis. Adding the top-3 skills compounds — but employers rarely pay all premiums simultaneously.

MLOps Engineer Intelligence Report

Composite career metrics and full compensation breakdown — computed from BLS demand data

Career Opportunity Score

Composite: demand growth × 1.4 + (100 − AI risk) × 0.4

A+100/100
High RiskModerateExceptional
Demand Growth+52%/yr
AI Displacement Risk22% — Low
Risk-Adj. Salary Growth+6.9%/yr
Exceptional: Explosive demand + low AI displacement — top career momentum of any field.
$270K
In 2 yrs
$330K
In 5 yrs
$460K
In 10 yrs

Risk-adjusted growth model. Not financial advice.

Total Compensation — MLOps Engineer

Beyond base salary: bonus, equity, and employer-provided benefits

Total Comp Range
$366K$407K
per year
Base (61%)Bonus (10%)Equity (15%)Benefits (13%)
Base Salary
Median market rate
$236,379
Annual Bonus
Typical range: 8–25% of base
$39,003
Equity (annualised)
~25% of base — RSUs/options
$59,095
Benefits Value
~22% — healthcare, 401k, PTO
$52,003
Total Comp (mid)
$386,480

Sources: Levels.fyi TC data, LinkedIn Salary Insights, Robert Half 2025 Guide. Equity assumes established company RSU vesting schedule.

Typical Benefits for MLOps Engineers

Total compensation beyond base salary — 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 in the current market.

Compare MLOps Engineer Salaries by City

How Seattle, WA stacks up against other major markets

CityMedianP75vs US avg
Seattle, WA (current)$236,379$297,257++41%
New York, NY$246,656$310,181++47%
San Francisco, CA$282,155$354,822++68%
Austin, TX$182,468$229,461++9%
Boston, MA$241,447$303,630++44%
Chicago, IL$196,992$247,726++17%
Los Angeles, CA$225,223$283,228++34%
Denver, CO$186,533$234,573++11%
Washington DC, DC$232,949$292,943++39%

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average MLOps Engineer salary in Seattle, WA?

The median MLOps Engineer salary in Seattle, WA is $236K per year (2026), based on BLS OEWS employer payroll data from 1.1 million employers. The top 25% earn $297K+ per year.

What is a good MLOps Engineer salary in Seattle, WA?

The 75th percentile ($297K/yr) is the professional benchmark — what the top quarter already earns. It's a documented, negotiable target backed by BLS payroll data. Anything above the median ($236K) is above-average for this role in Seattle, WA.

How much does a MLOps Engineer earn per hour in Seattle, WA?

Based on the median annual salary of $236K, a MLOps Engineer in Seattle, WA earns approximately $114/hr (2,080-hour work year). The P75 rate is ~$143/hr.

Is Seattle, WA a good market for MLOps Engineers?

Seattle, WA pays 41% above the US national average for this role. Demand for MLOps Engineers is growing 52% annually, and AI automation risk is rated low for this occupation.

How do I negotiate a higher MLOps Engineer salary in Seattle, WA?

Cite the BLS P75 figure ($297K) — 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 on this page is derived from a transparent, reproducible methodology — 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 — a mandatory biannual survey of 1.1 million US employers who report actual payroll data. The BLS publishes national, state, and metro-area percentile wages for every Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. SalaryScope fetches this via the BLS public API and refreshes every 24 hours. No self-reported data is used at any stage.

How is the Seattle figure calculated?

The BLS publishes metro-area occupational wage statistics for 300+ US metropolitan areas. For Seattle, SalaryScope uses the BLS metro premium ratio (metro median ÷ national median) and applies it to the national baseline. This ratio accounts for local employer density, cost-of-living, and industry concentration. The figures are updated whenever the BLS releases new OEWS metro data.

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 — this is the market midpoint. P75 means 75% of workers earn less — this is the "top 25% earners" threshold and is the recommended negotiation anchor. P10 and P90 represent the bottom 10% and top 10% of earners respectively. All figures are annual and based on 2,080 working hours per year (52 × 40hrs).

How is total compensation (bonus + equity) estimated?

Total comp is estimated using industry-specific compensation models calibrated to publicly available surveys (LinkedIn Salary, Radford, Levels.fyi). Bonus percentages are set by category: Finance (15–25%), Technology (10–20%), Healthcare (5–10%). Equity/RSUs are annualised over a standard 4-year cliff vest. Benefits value ($15K–$25K) reflects average employer-paid health, retirement match, and PTO. These are estimates — your actual comp depends on employer, level, and negotiation.

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. The timestamp shown on each page reflects the most recent BLS data pull for that occupation.

Full formulas and source citations on the methodology page.

How much of $236,379 do you actually take home?

Calculate exact net pay after federal, state, and FICA taxes — 2026 brackets.

Salary trend data not available for this occupation.

Education Premium — MLOps Engineer

How degree level affects MLOps Engineer salary · ACS Census data

High School / GED
-28%
~$170K
Associate's Degree
-12%
~$208K
Bachelor's DegreeBASELINE
~$236K
Master's Degree
+24%
~$293K
Doctoral (PhD)
+32%
~$312K
Professional (MBA/JD/MD)
+42%
~$336K

Source: US Census Bureau ACS PUMS Table B20004 · BLS OES wage data. Premiums shown vs bachelor's degree baseline at median experience.

Am I Paid Fairly?

Enter your current salary to instantly see where you rank in the Seattle market and get your data-backed negotiation opening ask.

📊Your exact market percentile based on BLS distribution
🎯P75 target + 10% stretch as your opening ask price
🚪Walking-away floor so you know when to move on
Seattle benchmarks
$236K
Market median
$297K
P75 target
$366K
Top 10%

Negotiation Calculator

Enter your current salary to see your market position and opening ask

$
MLOps Engineer in Seattle — Distribution
P10
$153K
P25
$188K
P50
$236K
P75
$297K
P90
$366K
Enter your salary above to see your negotiation position

Washington Salary Transparency Law

Effective Jan 1, 2023

Employers with 15+ employees must disclose wage scale or salary range

As a job seeker in Washington, you have the legal right to request or see salary ranges in job postings. Use the ranges on this page as your benchmark before applying.

View law →

Data Source & Attribution

Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, based on 1.1 million employer payroll records. Data is updated via ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) and reflects the most recent BLS OEWS release cycle. This data is in the public domain under BLS data dissemination policy.

BLS.OEWS.2026.v2

Jun 12, 2026

Full methodology →