$200K–$300K/yrOnsiteFull-time
Backend Engineer salary in California
From 55 US job postings that list pay, out of 65 open Backend Engineer jobs in California. These are the amounts employers advertised, not pay reported by employees.
- Median pay
- $223ka year
- Middle half
- $186k–$249k25th to 75th percentile
- Postings with pay
- 55of 65 open jobs · 1 paid by the hour
Pay range
$157k$269k
Pay by experience level
| Level the posting asks for | Median a year | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Mid level | $198k | 16 |
| Senior | $225k | 34 |
| Lead / manager | $244k | 5 |
Top-paying companies
Companies with at least 3 postings that list pay.
Pay by city in California
| City | Median a year | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $223k | 35 |
Open Backend Engineer jobs with pay listed
LO
Backend Software Engineer - Mission Planning Strategy
Loft Orbital Solutions
San Francisco, CA, United StatesYesterday
$150K–$195K/yrOnsiteFull-time
Sr. Backend Software Engineer (Infrastructure ML Ops)
Philo
San Francisco, CA, United States1w ago
$195K–$250K/yrHybridSenior · Full-time
SI
Staff Backend Engineer
Siftstack
San Francisco, CA, United States4d ago
$200K–$260K/yrHybridSenior · Full-time
Backend Engineer
Verkada
San Mateo, CA, United States5d ago
$140K/yrOnsiteFull-time
Backend Software Engineer
Raydar
San Francisco, CA, United States4d ago
$140K–$300K/yrOnsiteFull-time
How these numbers are made
- ApplyHour reads job postings straight from employers' own career sites (Workday, Greenhouse, Lever, iCIMS and 30 more), not job boards, and keeps the pay each posting states.
- Only open US postings for this job title count, with pay in US dollars of at least $10k a year. A range counts at its middle. Hourly pay is turned into a year at 2,080 hours (40 a week), daily pay at 260 days.
- These are advertised amounts, not what people are paid: bonuses, equity and tips aren't included. A company or place is listed once it has enough postings with pay.
- Updated November 11, 2026; the numbers move as jobs open and close.