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Startup Salaries and Equities in Santa Monica 2026

What is the average startup salary in Santa Monica? The average expected salary for Santa Monica-based startups is 124 per year, with a range from 65k to 220k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The startup salary range in Santa Monica varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.

124.2k

Average Salary

3 years

Average years of experience

Hiring data hero image

Salary

By quarter
The average startup salary in Santa Monica is $124,167, which is 10.0% higher than the average startup salary of $112,833. Salaries in Santa Monica are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: role, years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.

Top of market

$192,833/yr

Range $160k - $220k

Average

$124,167/yr

Range $92k - $170k

Below Average

$89,625/yr

Range $65k - $110k


Industries

The highest average salary in Santa Monica employee can get in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning, that is $240,000. This pay is 39.7% higher than the average Santa Monica salary in startups, which is $171,800. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (avg $240,000 per year), Logistics Software (avg $165,000 per year), Logistics / Transportation / Shipping (avg $165,000 per year).

Tech Stack

The highest average salary in Santa Monica employees can get with Redis, that is $215,000. This pay is 90.5% higher than the average salary in startups, which is $112,833. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
The top-paying developer skills in Santa Monica of 2026 are:
  • 1. Redis

    $215k

  • 2. Node.js

    $175k

  • 3. Javascript

    $170k

  • 4. TypeScript

    $170k

  • 5. Dart

    $157.5k

  • 6. C++

    $155k

  • 7. AWS

    $142k

  • 8. GCP

    $140k

  • 9. Machine Learning

    $130k

  • 10. PostgreSQL

    $125k


Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary in Santa Monica employee can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $105,000. This pay is 6.9% lower than the average salary in Santa Monica startups, which is $112,833. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.