Side-by-side distribution
Backend Engineer
$185,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.3%
- Live roles
- 2,441
Dentist
$260,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 54.8%
- Live roles
- 104
Highest-paying jobs
Intermediate Backend Software Engineer
Senior Staff Backend Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
Lead Software Engineer (Backend)
Staff Software Engineer (Backend)
Senior/Staff Backend Engineer, Applied AI
Backend Engineer, AI
Backend Engineer
Senior Backend Engineer
Senior Backend Engineer (Java)
Senior Backend Engineer (Java)
Highest-paying jobs
General Dentist
General Dentist
General Dentist
Dentist
General Dentist
Associate / Lead Dentist - $10k Sign-On Bonus
Associate / Lead Dentist
Associate / Lead Dentist - $10k Sign-On Bonus
Associate / Lead Dentist
Associate / Lead Dentist
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Air Apps
|
$68,094 | 33 |
Affirm
|
$190,491 | 21 |
Databricks
|
$205,100 | 16 |
Grafana Labs
|
$192,485 | 11 |
OpenAI
|
$309,000 | 9 |
Teleport
|
$261,440 | 9 |
Verkada
|
$215,000 | 9 |
Whoop
|
$150,000 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Elite Dental Partners
|
$270,000 | 21 |
Enable Dental
|
$273,000 | 12 |
|
Tend
|
$300,000 | 6 |
|
Dental365
|
$325,000 | 4 |
Greenlife Healthcare Staffing
|
$161,375 | 4 |
Dentalook
|
$100,000 | 4 |
United Dental Corporation
|
$234,000 | 2 |
Aizer Health
|
$228,800 | 1 |
Backend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $220,000 | 165 |
| New York | $207,500 | 163 |
| Seattle | $205,500 | 38 |
| Denver | $195,875 | 4 |
| Austin | $189,750 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $185,000 | 13 |
| Boston | $178,750 | 20 |
| Chicago | $175,000 | 5 |
| Singapore | $151,034 | 3 |
| Toronto | $147,978 | 39 |
Dentist salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $325,000 | 5 |
Backend Engineer vs Dentist: which pays more?
The median for Backend Engineer is $185,500 per year (typically $145,499–$225,000), versus $260,000 for Dentist ($182,350–$273,000). That puts Dentist about 40% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Backend Engineer and Dentist are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.