Side-by-side distribution
Backend Engineer
$184,175
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.8%
- Live roles
- 2,597
Frontend Engineer
$162,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.7%
- Live roles
- 1,343
Highest-paying jobs
Senior/Staff Backend Engineer, Applied AI
Expert Backend Engineer
Senior Backend Engineer, Perpetuals
Software Engineer, Backend
Senior Staff Software Engineer, API
Staff/Principal Backend Software Engineer
Staff/Principal Backend Software Engineer
Software Engineer, API Safety
Software Engineer, API Agents
Software Engineer, API Frontiers
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Frontend Engineer ($400k - $500k salary)
Staff/Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Staff/Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Software Engineer, Frontend
Frontend Software Engineer, ChatGPT Space
Frontend Software Engineer, Codex App
Principal Frontend AI Engineer - Cortex Code
Senior / Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Principal Frontend Software Engineer - Discovery
Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Affirm
|
$170,500 | 52 |
Air Apps
|
$65,555 | 33 |
|
OpenAI
|
$355,500 | 18 |
Databricks
|
$195,500 | 14 |
Grafana Labs
|
$148,144 | 14 |
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 11 |
| KA Kalepa | $219,000 | 11 |
Robinhood
|
$180,500 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CACI
|
$160,950 | 19 |
|
Air Apps
|
$58,701 | 11 |
Sift Stack, Inc.
|
$205,000 | 9 |
GDIT
|
$155,000 | 9 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$113,700 | 9 |
|
Harvey
|
$241,700 | 8 |
|
Roblox
|
$267,950 | 7 |
|
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 7 |
Backend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $215,250 | 148 |
| New York | $205,000 | 173 |
| Seattle | $200,000 | 52 |
| Los Angeles | $196,000 | 17 |
| Boston | $191,500 | 19 |
| Denver | $167,950 | 11 |
| Austin | $160,000 | 13 |
| Chicago | $150,350 | 10 |
| Singapore | $143,718 | 6 |
| Toronto | $139,976 | 42 |
Frontend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $208,750 | 68 |
| San Francisco | $205,000 | 70 |
| Seattle | $193,000 | 17 |
| Boston | $188,750 | 10 |
| Austin | $187,500 | 5 |
| Chicago | $155,600 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $134,531 | 5 |
| London | $133,526 | 4 |
| Denver | $127,250 | 5 |
| Paris | $116,000 | 3 |
Backend Engineer vs Frontend Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Backend Engineer is $184,175 per year (typically $140,485–$220,000), versus $162,500 for Frontend Engineer ($122,500–$202,500). That puts Backend Engineer about 13% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Backend Engineer and Frontend Engineer 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.