Machine Learning Researcher.
Kansas City.
$129,000
median salary, 9% below the national average
$88,000 to $170,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Machine Learning Researcher offer in Kansas City, MO, here is the reality: $88,000 to $170,000, with $129,000 as the midpoint. 9% below the national average. Publication record in top-tier venues like NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR is the strongest salary differentiator. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Machine Learning Researcher in Kansas City, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $104,670 for Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221) in the Kansas City, MO-KS metropolitan area, based on 120 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$78,410
25th percentile
$92,560
Median
$104,670
75th percentile
$141,520
90th percentile
$172,210
Workers surveyed
120
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer and Information Research Scientists (SOC 15-1221) rather than Machine Learning Researcher specifically. The Kansas City range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-1221Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $116,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$84,000
to $103,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$110,000
to $135,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$142,000
to $168,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$161,000
to $200,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $54,000 to the total package.
Base
$129,000
Equity
$32,000
Bonus
$14,000
Signing
$8,000
Estimated total: $183,000
How Kansas City compares.
Kansas City, MO
$129,000
Cost of living: 7% below average
National Average
$141,000
Kansas City is $12,000 below
Machine Learning Researcher salary by city.
Salary by role in Kansas City.
What you should know.
The Machine Learning Researcher landscape in Kansas City is not what most salary sites will tell you. Kansas City straddles Missouri and Kansas, creating a unique dual state job market with strong logistics, tech, and agriculture technology sectors. The metro's central location has made it a hub for distribution centers and supply chain companies. Cerner's healthcare IT presence and a growing startup scene have boosted demand for technology professionals. Publication record in top-tier venues like NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR is the strongest salary differentiator. Researchers with first-author papers at these conferences command 15 to 25% premiums. Industry labs at major tech firms pay significantly more than academic positions or smaller startups.
Research interns start at $45,000 to $65,000 for summer positions. Junior researchers earn $140,000 to $170,000, while senior researchers reach $200,000 to $280,000. Principal researchers and research directors at major labs can exceed $400,000 in base salary alone. In Kansas City, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Total compensation at top labs often doubles base salary through equity grants and annual bonuses of 20 to 40%. Many positions include conference travel budgets, compute credits, and sabbatical programs for independent research. And on the tax side: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and Kansas City adds a 1% earnings tax. Workers living in Kansas face that state's rates instead. Choose your side of the state line carefully. When someone quotes you $129,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate which side of the state line you will be based on. Your tax situation differs meaningfully between Missouri and Kansas, and some employers offer flexibility on office location. The range for Machine Learning Researchers in Kansas City runs from $88,000 to $170,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An AI Engineer in Kansas City earns $127,000 (2% less)
- The highest-paying role in Kansas City is CTO at $282,000
- See all ai research roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Machine Learning Researcher Salary in Kansas City, MO." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/machine-learning-researcher/kansas-city
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