Salary comparison
Machine Learning Engineer vs Robotics Engineer salary
Machine Learning Engineers out-earn robotics engineers by about $15,330 at the median. Here is the full side-by-side breakdown — pay range, top states, and experience.
Machine Learning Engineers earn more — a median of $133,080 versus $117,750 for robotics engineers, a gap of about $15,330 (13%). Both figures are national benchmarks (one or both mapped from the nearest tracked occupation).
Machine Learning Engineer
Mapped est.$133,080
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $79,850
- Top 10%
- $211,450
- Discipline
- Emerging
Robotics Engineer
Mapped est.$117,750
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $62,840
- Top 10%
- $183,510
- Discipline
- Emerging
Machine Learning Engineer vs Robotics Engineer — pay distribution
Percentile-by-percentile comparison of national annual wages.
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentileMachine Learning Engineer | $79,850 |
| MedianMachine Learning Engineer | $133,080 |
| 90th percentileMachine Learning Engineer | $211,450 |
| 10th percentileRobotics Engineer | $62,840 |
| MedianRobotics Engineer | $117,750 |
| 90th percentileRobotics Engineer | $183,510 |
Pay by experience
Modeled progression from entry to principal level for each role (estimated from the national percentile curve).
Machine Learning Engineer
Robotics Engineer
Which should you choose?
On pay alone, machine learning engineers earn about 13% more at the median — but location and specialization routinely move pay by more than that gap.
Pick machine learning engineer if…
Machine learning engineers design, train, and deploy ML models inside production systems, owning everything from data pipelines to live model monitoring.
- ▹Research vs. production ML focus
- ▹Company type (Big Tech and AI labs pay a premium)
- ▹Years of experience
Pick robotics engineer if…
Robotics engineers design and build robots and robotic systems, blending mechanical, electrical, and software engineering into machines that sense, decide, and move.
- ▹Hardware vs. software/perception focus
- ▹Industry (autonomous vehicles, warehouse, surgical)
- ▹Years of experience and specialization
Machine Learning Engineer vs Robotics Engineer — frequently asked
Who earns more, machine learning engineers or robotics engineers?
What is the salary range for machine learning engineers vs robotics engineers?
Should I become a machine learning engineer or a robotics engineer?
Source details
Machine Learning Engineer is not a BLS-tracked title. BLS does not publish a separate wage for this title, so the figures shown are the published wage for BLS SOC 15-1252 Software Developers — the closest tracked occupation. Actual pay for this specialization can sit above or below it.
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →