Side-by-side distribution
Backend Engineer
$185,375
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33%
- Live roles
- 2,443
QA Automation
$139,313
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 23.5%
- Live roles
- 507
Highest-paying jobs
Intermediate Backend Software Engineer
Senior Staff Backend Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
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
Automation Tester
Senior Associate - Test Automation & Tools Development Engineer
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Staff SDET)
Embedded Software Test Engineer, Onboard Test Automation
Principal Software Engineer in Test (SDET)
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Senior Software Development Engineer In Test, ML/AI
Senior Software Development Engineer in Test
Sr. Software Development Engineer in Test, AI/ML
Sr Software Development Engineer in Test, ML
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 |
|---|---|---|
|
PlayStation Global
|
$209,700 | 14 |
|
Air Apps
|
$61,692 | 11 |
Anduril Industries
|
$167,250 | 6 |
Dialpad
|
$104,717 | 5 |
Brain Corp
|
$113,292 | 4 |
Accenture Federal Services
|
$132,200 | 3 |
Onebrief
|
$163,750 | 2 |
Standard Bots
|
$135,000 | 2 |
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 | $184,075 | 12 |
| Boston | $178,750 | 20 |
| Chicago | $175,000 | 5 |
| Singapore | $151,034 | 3 |
| Toronto | $145,000 | 37 |
QA Automation salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $166,250 | 6 |
| Los Angeles | $162,500 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $150,000 | 7 |
| New York | $134,500 | 5 |
| Toronto | $106,250 | 6 |
| Dublin | $99,648 | 3 |
Backend Engineer vs QA Automation: which pays more?
The median for Backend Engineer is $185,375 per year (typically $145,499–$225,000), versus $139,313 for QA Automation ($104,929–$175,600). That puts Backend Engineer about 33% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Backend Engineer and QA Automation 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.