Side-by-side distribution
Backend Engineer
$185,838
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33.4%
- Live roles
- 2,487
Embedded Engineer
$185,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51.1%
- Live roles
- 448
Highest-paying jobs
Intermediate Backend Software Engineer
Senior Staff Backend Engineer ($500k - $1.5m salary)
Lead Backend Developer – Typescript (Node.js)
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)
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Embedded Security Engineer
Software Engineer, Embedded Agentic AI
Staff Embedded Firmware Engineer
Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Embedded Software Engineer / Tech lead, Onboard Test Automation
Embedded SW Engineer
Staff Embedded Linux Engineer
Lead Embedded Linux Engineer - Intercom
Staff Embedded Software Engineer - Camera Firmware
Senior Embedded Linux Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Air Apps
|
$68,094 | 33 |
Remote
|
$86,575 | 30 |
Grafana Labs
|
$180,940 | 19 |
Databricks
|
$195,500 | 15 |
Affirm
|
$183,000 | 13 |
Whoop
|
$150,000 | 11 |
Brex
|
$171,000 | 10 |
OpenAI
|
$307,500 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$209,500 | 25 |
Silvus Technologies
|
$170,000 | 10 |
SpaceX
|
$142,500 | 8 |
|
Verkada
|
$245,000 | 6 |
| AX Axon | $188,175 | 6 |
TP-Link Systems Inc.
|
$140,000 | 6 |
STR
|
$130,500 | 6 |
CHAOS Industries
|
$182,500 | 5 |
Backend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $216,000 | 174 |
| New York | $207,500 | 175 |
| Seattle | $196,750 | 40 |
| Los Angeles | $184,075 | 14 |
| Austin | $179,000 | 10 |
| Boston | $175,000 | 25 |
| Chicago | $173,000 | 7 |
| Atlanta | $173,000 | 3 |
| Denver | $167,300 | 7 |
| Singapore | $151,940 | 3 |
Embedded Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | $195,500 | 4 |
| Seattle | $193,025 | 12 |
| San Francisco | $187,500 | 18 |
| New York | $185,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $181,250 | 16 |
| Boston | $173,750 | 11 |
| Denver | $161,250 | 4 |
| Austin | $157,500 | 7 |
Backend Engineer vs Embedded Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Backend Engineer is $185,838 per year (typically $145,000–$225,000), versus $185,000 for Embedded Engineer ($156,000–$207,500). That puts Backend Engineer about 0% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Backend Engineer and Embedded 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.