Machine Learning Engineer H-1B salary at Tiktok — 152 certified filings (FY2020–FY2026)
- 76
- Filings · FY2025
- $197k
- Median base · FY2025
- $144k–$230k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- +28%
- vs market median · all years
Tiktok filed 76 certified H-1B LCAs for Machine Learning Engineer in FY2025, with a median base salary of $197k and the middle 50% of offers between $144k and $230k. Across all years its $200k median is 28% above the $156k market median for Machine Learning Engineer. It has filed 152 Machine Learning Engineer LCAs since FY2020, most often in San Jose, CA.
How much does Tiktok pay a Machine Learning Engineer?
Certified base salary for Machine Learning Engineer at Tiktok by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $197k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Tiktok pay Machine Learning Engineers above the market?
Tiktok's all-years median against every employer's certified Machine Learning Engineer LCAs — 28% above the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Tiktok | 152 | $200k |
| All employers · Machine Learning Engineer | 4,981 | $156k |
How has Tiktok's Machine Learning Engineer hiring changed by year?
2 certified Machine Learning Engineer filings in FY2020 → 31 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 31 | −59% | $196k |
| FY2025 | 76 | +300% | $197k |
| FY2024 | 19 | +19% | $220k |
| FY2023 | 16 | +220% | $200k |
| FY2022 | 5 | +67% | $197k |
| FY2021 | 3 | +50% | $200k |
| FY2020 | 2 | — | $190k |
Which wage levels does Tiktok file for Machine Learning Engineer?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 30% of Tiktok's Machine Learning Engineer filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 152 Machine Learning Engineer filings with a wage level · all years
- Level I33.6%51
- Level II36.8%56
- Level III16.4%25
- Level IV13.2%20
Where does Tiktok hire H-1B Machine Learning Engineers?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| California | 121 | $201k |
| Washington | 31 | $177k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | 109 | $205k |
| Bellevue, WA | 31 | $177k |
| Mountain View, CA | 12 | $200k |
Also filed as
Tiktok's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Machine Learning Engineer LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Tiktok
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | 302 | $175k |
| Backend Software Engineer | 66 | $191k |
| Data Scientist | 59 | $167k |
| Software Development Engineer in Test | 50 | $180k |
| Data Engineer | 48 | $158k |
| Machine Learning Scientist | 44 | $243k |
| Product Manager | 44 | $181k |
Top Machine Learning Engineer sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | 1,026 | $184k |
| Adobe | 449 | $175k |
| Meta Platforms | 138 | $211k |
| Bytedance | 124 | $222k |
| Qualcomm Technologies | 103 | $123k |
| 51 | $142k | |
| Doordash | 48 | $174k |
| Bloomberg L P | 44 | $152k |
| Expedia | 39 | $149k |
Common questions about Machine Learning Engineer H-1B pay at Tiktok
- How much does Tiktok pay a Machine Learning Engineer on an H-1B?
- Tiktok's median certified H-1B base salary for Machine Learning Engineer is $197k in FY2025, from 76 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $144k and $230k. Across all years the median is $200k.
- How many Machine Learning Engineer H-1B LCAs has Tiktok filed?
- Tiktok has 152 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Machine Learning Engineer on record (FY2020–FY2026), 31 of them in FY2026. That is 6% of its 2,758 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Tiktok pay Machine Learning Engineers above the market?
- Tiktok's all-years median of $200k is 28% above the $156k median for Machine Learning Engineer across all H-1B employers (4,981 certified filings).
- Where does Tiktok hire H-1B Machine Learning Engineers?
- Tiktok's Machine Learning Engineer LCAs name worksites mostly in California, Washington; the top cities are San Jose, CA, Bellevue, WA, Mountain View, CA.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
Keep exploring
Calculate your H-1B lottery odds →orCheck out the insights →
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2020–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →