Side-by-side distribution
Embedded Engineer
$159,050
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 46.5%
- Live roles
- 1,072
Staff Engineer
$210,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 50.7%
- Live roles
- 7,605
Highest-paying jobs
Architect/Staff Embedded Software Engineer
Principal Software Engineer - Embedded (RIS)
Principal Software Engineer, Embedded (RIS)
Principal Software Engineer - Embedded Platform Software Development
Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Staff Embedded Software Engineer
Senior Embedded Engineer - Command Connector
Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Embedded Software Engineer, Power, Level 5
Embedded SW Engineer
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Staff Full Stack Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
Senior Staff React Native Engineer ($500k - 1.5m salary)
Senior/Staff Backend Engineer, Applied AI
Senior/Staff Full Stack Engineer, Applied AI
Staff+ Research Engineer, RL Data Platform
Staff Research Engineer, Discovery Team
Staff Research Engineer, Multi-Agent Scaling
Staff Software Engineer, Node Infra
Staff Infrastructure Engineer, Cluster Infrastructure
Staff Software Engineer, Kubernetes Platform
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$142,500 | 61 |
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 26 |
|
Blue Origin
|
$181,117 | 17 |
SpaceX
|
$145,000 | 16 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 13 |
|
Verkada
|
$220,000 | 12 |
Silvus Technologies
|
$170,000 | 10 |
Motorola Solutions
|
$132,503 | 10 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$210,750 | 258 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 126 |
|
Anthropic
|
$402,500 | 96 |
Databricks
|
$226,000 | 71 |
Crusoe
|
$235,000 | 51 |
GEICO
|
$182,500 | 47 |
| AD Analog Devices | $168,305 | 44 |
General Motors
|
$236,000 | 36 |
Embedded Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | $191,700 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $190,000 | 17 |
| Seattle | $181,117 | 25 |
| Denver | $181,117 | 11 |
| Boston | $180,650 | 8 |
| New York | $178,800 | 3 |
| Los Angeles | $170,000 | 35 |
| Austin | $135,125 | 7 |
Staff Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| London | $274,386 | 46 |
| Seattle | $256,000 | 250 |
| San Francisco | $254,500 | 739 |
| New York | $252,500 | 539 |
| Berlin | $227,311 | 11 |
| Los Angeles | $223,000 | 98 |
| Boston | $219,375 | 93 |
| Austin | $206,675 | 101 |
| Atlanta | $206,250 | 29 |
| Denver | $205,000 | 79 |
Embedded Engineer vs Staff Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Embedded Engineer is $159,050 per year (typically $127,500–$195,000), versus $210,000 for Staff Engineer ($176,425–$245,000). That puts Staff Engineer about 32% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Embedded Engineer and Staff 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.