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Kafka
Big Data

Kafka developer salary in Big Data startups in 2026

How much does Kafka developer expect to make in Big Data startups? The average expected salary for Kafka developers in Big Data startups is 125 per year, with a range from 15k to 318k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Kafka developers in Big Data startup varies depending on factors such as location, experience, and startup stage.

124.9k

Average Salary

5 years

Average years of experience

Hiring data hero image

Salary

By quarter
The average salary for a Kafka developer in Big Data startups is$124,875, which is 9.1% lower than the average salary of$137,333 in Big Data startups. Kafka developer salaries in Big Data are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: location, years of experience, title, size of company, and skill-set.

Top of market

$179,792/yr

Range $120k - $318k

Average

$124,875/yr

Range $65k - $190k

Below Average

$90,133/yr

Range $15k - $162k


Top Locations

The highest average salary a Kafka developer in Big Data can get in Chicago, that is $162,500. This pay is 30.1% higher than the average Kafka developer salary in Big Data startups, which is $124,875. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Chicago (avg $162,500 per year), Boston (avg $140,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Chicago

$162.5k

Boston

$140k

 

Industries

Use the filters above to discover compensation across companies similar to yours.

Tech Stack

The top-paying developer skills of 2026 are:
  • 1. Lisp

    $208k

  • 2. Celery

    $202k

  • 3. Clojure

    $195k

  • 4. OpenCV

    $192k

  • 5. Clojurescript

    $187.5k

  • 6. Principle

    $176k

  • 7. Scipy

    $175k

  • 8. Symfony

    $175k

  • 9. Vue

    $170k

  • 10. SOLR

    $165k


Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary a Kafka developer in Big Data can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $170,000. This pay is 23.8% higher than the average salary in Big Data startups, which is $137,333. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
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