Side-by-side distribution
Backend Engineer
$185,375
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33%
- Live roles
- 2,443
Psychiatrist
$358,800
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34%
- Live roles
- 1,146
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Staff Backend Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
Intermediate Backend Software Engineer
Staff Software Engineer (Backend)
Lead 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
Psychiatrist (MD / DO)
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist - Intellectual & Developmental Disability
Psychiatrist | General Adult | Coastal regional WA
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Air Apps
|
$68,094 | 33 |
Affirm
|
$183,000 | 20 |
Databricks
|
$205,100 | 16 |
Grafana Labs
|
$192,485 | 15 |
OpenAI
|
$309,000 | 9 |
Teleport
|
$261,440 | 9 |
Verkada
|
$215,000 | 9 |
Whoop
|
$150,000 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Lifestance
|
$367,990 | 208 |
Serenity Mental Health Centers
|
$500,000 | 118 |
|
Mediix
|
$448,012 | 10 |
Greenlife Healthcare Staffing
|
$353,600 | 10 |
Array Behavioral Care
|
$358,800 | 8 |
|
Gotham Enterprises Ltd
|
$520,000 | 6 |
Amae Health
|
$315,000 | 6 |
| PH Pulse Healthcare | $149,408 | 4 |
Backend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $220,000 | 166 |
| New York | $207,500 | 164 |
| Seattle | $205,500 | 38 |
| Denver | $195,875 | 4 |
| Austin | $189,750 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $184,075 | 12 |
| Boston | $178,750 | 20 |
| Chicago | $175,000 | 5 |
| Singapore | $151,034 | 3 |
| Toronto | $145,000 | 37 |
Backend Engineer vs Psychiatrist: which pays more?
The median for Backend Engineer is $185,375 per year (typically $145,499–$225,000), versus $358,800 for Psychiatrist ($335,000–$397,250). That puts Psychiatrist about 94% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Backend Engineer and Psychiatrist 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.