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Backend Engineer salary in Software startups in 2026
How much does a Backend Engineer expect to make in Software startups? The average expected salary for Backend Engineers in Software startups is 165k per year, with a range from 47k to 261k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Backend Engineers in Software startup varies depending on factors such as location, experience, skills, and startup stage.
165.3k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Backend Engineer in Software startups is $165,333, which is 24.3% higher than the average salary of $133,042 in Software startups. Backend Engineer salaries in Software 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
$223,083/yr
Range $175k - $261k
Average
$165,333/yr
Range $130k - $192k
Below Average
$126,625/yr
Range $47k - $172k
Top Locations
The highest average salary a Backend Engineer in Software can get in Seattle, that is $222,000. This pay is 34.3% higher than the average Backend Engineer salary in Software startups, which is $165,333. Salaries will vary based on your location. The top-paying markets in the US, on average, are currently: Seattle (avg $222,000 per year), New York (avg $221,500 per year), Chicago (avg $145,000 per year). Remote jobs often pay based on the location you reside in.
Seattle
$222k
New York
$221.5k
Chicago
$145k
Los Angeles
$140k
Toronto
$125k
San Diego
$100k
San Francisco Bay Area
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Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Backend Engineer in Software can get with GraphQL, that is $204,000. This pay is 53.3% higher than the average salary in Software startups, which is $133,042. 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 Software startups of 2026 are:
1. GraphQL
$204k
2. Go
$190k
3. Kotlin
$185k
4. Pyspark
$175k
5. Scala
$170k
6. PyTorch
$162k
7. Elixir
$162k
8. Heroku
$162k
9. TypeScript
$155k
10. Selenium
$150k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Backend Engineer in Software can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $155,000. This pay is 16.5% higher than the average salary in Software startups, which is $133,042. 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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Popular skills
Industries for Backend Engineer
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