/market-index — INFRASTRUCTURE / BACKEND
Backend & Infrastructure Engineer Salary Guide
Infrastructure and backend engineers are the most consistently bid-up profile in our searches. These bands come from live infra/backend searches for VC-backed startups.
Base salary, $k/year · from 16 live searches
| Market | Searches | Median band | Top of market |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 4 | $160k – $240k | $250k |
| Remote / other | 4 | $177k – $242k | $275k |
| San Francisco | 8 | $192k – $252k | $600k |
What the data says
SF infra is the strongest market we see: median authorized bands of $192–252k with outliers to $600k for staff-plus infrastructure at well-funded companies. Hiring infra in SF under a $180k ceiling means losing candidates weekly.
Base salary only, equity excluded. Bands reflect what companies authorized us to offer. Last computed 2026-08.
Live infrastructure / backend roles
#16Agent Platform EngineerNew York$150K - $230K#23Backend EngineerSan Francisco$135K - $250K#24Backend Engineer (Infra)New York$150K - $220K#25Backend Infrastructure EngineerSan Francisco · South Bay Area$200K - $250K#51Founding Engineer, Infrastructure & PlatformSan Francisco$175K - $275K#66Infrastructure EngineerCanada · San Francisco · New York$175K - $275K#67Infrastructure EngineerSan Francisco · New York$150K - $300K#5Member of Technical StaffNew York · Seattle$200K - $280K
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Anonymized profiles of engineers we'd put in front of you — and an honest read on whether your band clears the market.