Backend Engineer salary benchmark
Builds APIs, services, and data layers. Solid SQL.
Updated
Backend Engineer at the mid-level band posts a p50 of $166k across 30 qualifying postings. Band width (p25–p90) at the mid-level band spans $136k – $278k.
| Level | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mid | $136k | $166k | $215k | $278k | 30 |
Companies hiring Backend Engineer
Top 5 by active postings over the trailing 26 weeks.
- Speechify28 roles · p50 $170k
- Elastic10 roles · p50 $146k
- MongoDB10 roles · p50 $162k
- Apple8 roles
- Databricks8 roles · p50 $166k
Common stacks for Backend Engineer
Stacks mentioned most often in Backend Engineer postings. Each links to a narrowed benchmark page.
- aws44 postings · p50 $146k
- python28 postings · p50 $134k
- java21 postings · p50 $146k
- distributed systems17 postings · p50 $150k
- kubernetes17 postings · p50 $135k
- typescript16 postings · p50 $166k
- javascript15 postings · p50 $146k
- docker14 postings · p50 $130k
Backend Engineer by city
Top hiring markets for Backend Engineer. Each links to a narrowed benchmark page.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Backend Engineer typically earn?
- Median compensation for Backend Engineer is in the table above, broken down by experience level. Numbers reflect the trailing 26 weeks of disclosed-salary postings only.
- How wide is the compensation band for Backend Engineer?
- Band width varies by level. At the mid-level band, p25 sits at $136k and p90 at $278k — a ratio you can use to gauge how much variance to expect when interviewing for Backend Engineer positions.
- Where can I see live Backend Engineer job postings?
- The "Companies hiring Backend Engineer" list below shows the companies with the most active postings for this role. You can also browse the underlying job posts at /jobs filtered to this role.
Methodology
Percentiles computed via PERCENTILE_CONT(p) WITHIN GROUP (ORDER BY salary_mid) on disclosed salary ranges only — full methodology.