Median salary
$212,750
per year · annualized USD
Typical range
$187.5k – $248.1k
25th–75th percentile
Disclosing pay
70.7%
198 of 280 roles
Live roles
280
open right now
Salary trend
median · annualized USDSalary distribution
annualized USD · disclosed rolesHighest-paying jobs
Software Engineer, Backend
Staff+ Software Engineer, Backend
Senior Staff Software Engineer, API
Software Engineer, Backend (Cooperative AI)
Senior Software Engineer, Backend
Backend Software Engineer, GTM Innovation
Machine Learning Engineer, API Multicloud
Backend Software Engineer (Evals)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
OpenAI
|
$355,500 | 13 |
Databricks
|
$195,500 | 6 |
Brex
|
$216,000 | 5 |
Scout Motors
|
$201,250 | 4 |
Harvey
|
$264,000 | 3 |
DOSS
|
$220,000 | 3 |
Sift Stack, Inc.
|
$205,000 | 3 |
Scribe
|
$200,000 | 3 |
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How much do Backend Engineer roles in California pay?
The median salary for Backend Engineer roles in California is $212,750 per year. Most pay falls between $187,488 (25th percentile) and $248,125 (75th percentile), with the broader 10th–90th percentile band running from $162,140 to $323,175.
These figures are computed live from 280 active Backend Engineer roles in California on JobsRadar, of which 198 (70.7%) publish a salary range. Pay is normalized to annualized USD so roles can be compared on equal terms; the highest-paying roles listed above show their original posted currency. Numbers refresh every few hours as new roles are posted and older ones close.
Employers currently hiring well-paid Backend Engineer roles in California include Mercor, Anthropic, OpenAI and Roku.
Salary transparency varies by employer and region, so the disclosing share above reflects only roles that publish pay — not every open position. Use it as a directional benchmark rather than an exact offer.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Backend Engineer salary in California?
- The median is $212,750 per year, with most pay between $187,488 and $248,125 (25th–75th percentile), based on 198 live listings that disclose pay on JobsRadar.
- What is the Backend Engineer salary range in California?
- Pay ranges from about $162,140 to $323,175 per year (10th–90th percentile) around a median of $212,750. Figures are annualized USD from live listings, refreshed every few hours.