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Backend Engineer salary in Artificial Intelligence startups in 2026
How much does a Backend Engineer expect to make in Artificial Intelligence startups? The average expected salary for Backend Engineers in Artificial Intelligence startups is 161k per year, with a range from 40k to 250k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Backend Engineers in Artificial Intelligence startup varies depending on factors such as location, experience, skills, and startup stage.
161.2k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Backend Engineer in Artificial Intelligence startups is $161,167, which is 4.5% higher than the average salary of $154,292 in Artificial Intelligence startups. Backend Engineer salaries in Artificial Intelligence 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
$223,167/yr
Range $192k - $250k
Average
$161,167/yr
Range $120k - $184k
Below Average
$114,542/yr
Range $40k - $150k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Backend Engineer in Artificial Intelligence can get in San Francisco Bay Area, that is $160,000. This pay is 0.7% lower than the average Backend Engineer salary in Artificial Intelligence startups, which is $161,167. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: San Francisco Bay Area (avg $160,000 per year), Denver (avg $158,000 per year), Remote (avg $150,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Denver
$158k
Remote
$150k
Los Angeles
$140k
Toronto
$140k
San Diego
$125k
Austin
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Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Backend Engineer in Artificial Intelligence can get with GraphQL, that is $204,000. This pay is 32.2% higher than the average salary in Artificial Intelligence startups, which is $154,292. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying Backend Engineer skills in Artificial Intelligence startups of 2026 are:
1. GraphQL
$204k
2. Azure
$197.5k
3. Go
$190k
4. Kotlin
$185k
5. Pyspark
$175k
6. Airflow
$171.5k
7. Splunk
$171.5k
8. Scala
$170k
9. Elixir
$162k
10. Heroku
$162k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Backend Engineer in Artificial Intelligence can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $155,000. This pay is 0.5% higher than the average salary in Artificial Intelligence startups, which is $154,292. 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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