ML Engineer.
Fargo.
$115,000
median salary, 14% below the national average
$86,000 to $151,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Orbyt estimates ML Engineer pay in Fargo at $115,000, within a range of $86,000 to $151,000. That is 14% below the national average. Fargo has a surprisingly strong technology sector, home to companies like Microsoft's campus and a growing startup ecosystem tied to North Dakota State University. 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 ML Engineer in Fargo, 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 $105,980 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the Fargo, ND-MN metropolitan area, based on 860 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$60,300
25th percentile
$78,870
Median
$105,980
75th percentile
$127,960
90th percentile
$160,480
Workers surveyed
860
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) rather than ML Engineer specifically. The Fargo 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 15-1252Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $103,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$75,000
to $92,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$98,000
to $121,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$127,000
to $150,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$144,000
to $178,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $50,000 to the total package.
Base
$115,000
Equity
$30,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$7,000
Estimated total: $165,000
ML Engineer salary by company.
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings (DOL).
How Fargo compares.
Fargo, ND
$115,000
Cost of living: 15% below average
National Average
$133,000
Fargo is $18,000 below
ML Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Fargo.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate an ML Engineer offer in Fargo, understand the terrain. Fargo has a surprisingly strong technology sector, home to companies like Microsoft's campus and a growing startup ecosystem tied to North Dakota State University. The city's extremely low cost of living and emerging tech scene make it an increasingly attractive option for professionals seeking affordability. Model training expertise at scale, infrastructure optimization skills, and publication record in top venues are the strongest differentiators. ML engineers who can reduce training costs by 50% or improve model latency by an order of magnitude are exceptionally valuable. Specialization in transformer architectures, reinforcement learning, or generative models commands the highest premiums.
Entry level ML engineers (with MS/PhD) start at $130,000 to $165,000, reaching mid level at $170,000 to $220,000 in two to three years. Senior ML engineers earn $220,000 to $300,000. Staff and principal level engineers at leading AI labs can exceed $500,000 in total compensation. In Fargo, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 15% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at AI labs and top tech companies often doubles total compensation, with RSU grants of $50,000 to $200,000+ annually at senior levels. Bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $40,000 to $100,000 are common. Compute budgets for personal research projects are a growing perk. And on the tax side: north Dakota has a very low income tax with a top rate of just 2.5%. Fargo has no city income tax. The minimal tax burden combined with low living costs creates excellent take home pay. When someone quotes you $115,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight willingness to work on site. Fargo tech employers struggle to recruit talent to the region and reward candidates who commit to living locally. The range for ML Engineers in Fargo runs from $86,000 to $151,000. 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 Agent Architect in Fargo earns $114,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Fargo is CTO at $258,000
- See all ai engineering roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
ML Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Fargo.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"ML Engineer Salary in Fargo, ND." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/ml-engineer/fargo
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