Median salary
$205,000
per year · annualized USD
Typical range
$185k – $226k
25th–75th percentile
Disclosing pay
41.7%
25 of 60 roles
Live roles
60
open right now
Salary trend
median · annualized USDSalary distribution
annualized USD · disclosed rolesHighest-paying jobs
Software Engineer, Backend
Staff Backend Engineer, Non Human Identities
Senior Software Engineer, Backend
Staff Software Engineer, Backend
Staff Software Engineer - Backend
Staff Software Development Engineer - Person API
Staff Backend Software Engineer- (AI Platform)
Staff Software Engineer - Backend
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Databricks
|
$195,500 | 9 |
|
Okta
|
$230,575 | 2 |
|
ID.me
|
$209,748 | 2 |
|
Exa
|
$265,000 | 1 |
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 1 |
Lightning AI
|
$215,000 | 1 |
|
Vast
|
$213,000 | 1 |
Illumio
|
$211,000 | 1 |
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How much do Backend Engineer roles in California pay?
The median salary for Backend Engineer roles in California is $205,000 per year. Most pay falls between $185,000 (25th percentile) and $226,000 (75th percentile), with the broader 10th–90th percentile band running from $157,250 to $230,650.
These figures are computed live from 60 active Backend Engineer roles in California on JobsRadar, of which 25 (41.7%) publish a salary range. Pay is normalized to annualized USD so roles can be compared on equal terms; the highest-paying roles listed above show their original posted currency. Numbers refresh every few hours as new roles are posted and older ones close.
Employers currently hiring well-paid Backend Engineer roles in California include Exa, Okta, Vast and Databricks.
Salary transparency varies by employer and region, so the disclosing share above reflects only roles that publish pay — not every open position. Use it as a directional benchmark rather than an exact offer.