Index 01 · Edition 2026-11
Startup & Tech Salary Index: November 2026
Senior engineer · US median
$176,250
P25–P75 $155k–$200k
Mid-level engineer
$156,500
815 postings
Staff engineer
$205,000
239 postings
Postings with a pay range
49.9%
11,531 of 23,106
Across 11,531 open job postings with an advertised pay range at 383 companies (Greenhouse, Ashby and Lever job boards, 2026-11-14), the US median advertised salary for a senior engineer is $176,250, against $156,500 at mid level and $205,000 at staff level. By state, senior engineering pay is highest in New York (median $200,000); California's median is $185,000 and US remote roles $175,125. 49.9% of the 23,106 open postings in the panel publish a pay range (Greenhouse 51.6%, Ashby 44.8%, Lever 53.4%).
| Role family | Seniority | Postings | Companies | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data | Intern | 13 | 9 | $52,000 | $72,800 | $100,734 |
| Data | Mid-level | 84 | 53 | $145,000 | $208,250 | $271,250 |
| Data | Senior | 50 | 36 | $146,250 | $179,000 | $194,125 |
| Data | Staff | 34 | 19 | $192,500 | $210,000 | $230,000 |
| Data | Principal | 13 | 6 | $95,000 | $173,000 | $215,000 |
| Data | Manager | 21 | 15 | $145,000 | $147,500 | $201,500 |
| Design | Intern | 14 | 9 | $48,100 | $57,200 | $69,940 |
| Design | Mid-level | 112 | 50 | $115,563 | $153,750 | $200,000 |
| Design | Senior | 82 | 48 | $141,000 | $166,765 | $191,775 |
| Design | Staff | 28 | 19 | $185,000 | $194,500 | $221,250 |
| Design | Director | 12 | 10 | $169,950 | $204,650 | $235,453 |
| Engineering | Intern | 105 | 27 | $52,000 | $72,800 | $91,520 |
| Engineering | Junior | 32 | 18 | $77,737 | $111,250 | $140,450 |
| Engineering | Mid-level | 815 | 139 | $127,975 | $156,500 | $200,000 |
| Engineering | Senior | 571 | 129 | $155,000 | $176,250 | $200,000 |
| Engineering | Staff | 239 | 62 | $186,750 | $205,000 | $230,000 |
| Engineering | Principal | 53 | 28 | $195,000 | $215,800 | $250,000 |
| Engineering | Manager | 96 | 49 | $175,875 | $206,750 | $237,000 |
| Engineering | Director | 51 | 32 | $232,500 | $265,000 | $325,000 |
| Engineering | VP | 23 | 17 | $248,750 | $289,450 | $310,000 |
| Field & trades | Junior | 24 | 10 | $49,400 | $57,350 | $65,780 |
| Field & trades | Mid-level | 376 | 65 | $47,840 | $68,468 | $87,395 |
| Field & trades | Senior | 67 | 23 | $64,470 | $80,000 | $102,549 |
| Field & trades | Manager | 24 | 14 | $71,583 | $117,500 | $132,000 |
| Finance | Junior | 13 | 9 | $82,500 | $107,500 | $127,500 |
| Finance | Mid-level | 112 | 49 | $77,328 | $119,375 | $161,750 |
| Finance | Senior | 80 | 41 | $95,200 | $112,500 | $154,000 |
| Finance | Staff | 20 | 11 | $74,375 | $97,750 | $180,188 |
| Finance | Manager | 54 | 35 | $134,625 | $152,750 | $170,000 |
| Finance | Director | 33 | 28 | $182,500 | $205,000 | $230,000 |
| Finance | VP | 12 | 9 | $198,750 | $231,250 | $266,250 |
| Healthcare | Mid-level | 891 | 42 | $61,430 | $85,000 | $135,200 |
| Healthcare | Senior | 20 | 9 | $100,000 | $193,150 | $239,375 |
| Healthcare | Director | 28 | 12 | $166,875 | $204,250 | $273,375 |
| People / HR | Mid-level | 104 | 54 | $70,000 | $117,500 | $155,000 |
| People / HR | Senior | 43 | 34 | $125,200 | $151,000 | $180,000 |
| People / HR | Manager | 14 | 14 | $124,125 | $145,000 | $167,500 |
| People / HR | Director | 21 | 19 | $191,000 | $205,000 | $246,500 |
| Legal | Mid-level | 81 | 46 | $90,000 | $140,000 | $175,000 |
| Legal | Senior | 31 | 25 | $135,000 | $185,000 | $235,313 |
| Legal | Manager | 11 | 11 | $141,250 | $155,000 | $183,110 |
| Legal | Director | 12 | 12 | $216,750 | $240,000 | $270,250 |
| Marketing | Intern | 11 | 7 | $62,400 | $66,560 | $70,720 |
| Marketing | Junior | 13 | 9 | $67,000 | $67,000 | $95,000 |
| Marketing | Mid-level | 181 | 85 | $65,000 | $107,833 | $147,500 |
| Marketing | Senior | 65 | 51 | $137,500 | $150,000 | $179,000 |
| Marketing | Manager | 30 | 22 | $117,188 | $135,150 | $164,125 |
| Marketing | Director | 55 | 39 | $181,250 | $207,500 | $231,500 |
| Marketing | VP | 17 | 13 | $205,000 | $232,500 | $295,000 |
| Operations | Intern | 13 | 8 | $62,400 | $76,960 | $83,200 |
| Operations | Junior | 95 | 43 | $44,200 | $63,500 | $88,372 |
| Operations | Mid-level | 525 | 144 | $57,500 | $96,500 | $137,825 |
| Operations | Senior | 153 | 66 | $105,000 | $132,500 | $155,000 |
| Operations | Staff | 19 | 15 | $171,593 | $183,500 | $202,500 |
| Operations | Principal | 10 | 7 | $129,500 | $160,000 | $186,719 |
| Operations | Manager | 91 | 49 | $99,000 | $137,500 | $171,270 |
| Operations | Director | 69 | 41 | $152,500 | $207,500 | $243,900 |
| Operations | VP | 27 | 25 | $175,000 | $215,000 | $250,000 |
| Other | Intern | 42 | 10 | $52,000 | $70,720 | $83,200 |
| Other | Mid-level | 344 | 88 | $40,560 | $66,560 | $120,000 |
| Other | Senior | 60 | 41 | $142,695 | $161,796 | $190,625 |
| Other | Staff | 16 | 10 | $192,563 | $200,000 | $222,195 |
| Other | Manager | 75 | 35 | $85,000 | $125,000 | $156,000 |
| Other | Director | 59 | 37 | $162,150 | $198,500 | $228,298 |
| Other | VP | 19 | 13 | $119,000 | $195,000 | $287,500 |
| Product | Mid-level | 49 | 32 | $175,000 | $199,000 | $227,500 |
| Product | Senior | 67 | 43 | $170,000 | $200,000 | $213,750 |
| Product | Staff | 27 | 16 | $193,000 | $193,500 | $217,125 |
| Product | Principal | 14 | 9 | $210,625 | $224,000 | $248,375 |
| Product | Director | 26 | 20 | $220,750 | $246,250 | $291,625 |
| Retail & hospitality | Junior | 33 | 5 | $36,920 | $38,480 | $41,600 |
| Retail & hospitality | Mid-level | 163 | 21 | $38,418 | $41,600 | $52,520 |
| Retail & hospitality | Senior | 18 | 8 | $41,603 | $46,176 | $52,000 |
| Retail & hospitality | Manager | 39 | 5 | $38,480 | $42,640 | $44,980 |
| Sales | Junior | 139 | 24 | $33,280 | $36,400 | $53,198 |
| Sales | Mid-level | 611 | 130 | $72,650 | $124,000 | $192,500 |
| Sales | Senior | 95 | 37 | $115,000 | $137,500 | $193,750 |
| Sales | Manager | 79 | 35 | $128,000 | $162,500 | $210,000 |
| Sales | Director | 84 | 52 | $165,256 | $200,000 | $266,250 |
| Sales | VP | 23 | 13 | $175,000 | $182,500 | $210,750 |
| Customer support | Junior | 18 | 7 | $47,091 | $47,091 | $62,270 |
| Customer support | Mid-level | 125 | 66 | $55,000 | $108,280 | $135,000 |
| Customer support | Senior | 23 | 19 | $98,750 | $130,000 | $154,750 |
| Customer support | Manager | 11 | 10 | $143,400 | $168,100 | $171,250 |
| State | Role | Postings | Companies | P25 | Median | P75 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | Engineering | 40 | 25 | $172,963 | $200,000 | $242,000 |
| California | Engineering | 267 | 58 | $165,000 | $185,000 | $206,000 |
| US, remote | Engineering | 54 | 28 | $150,000 | $175,125 | $194,600 |
| Washington | Engineering | 21 | 8 | $161,500 | $175,000 | $177,500 |
| Massachusetts | Engineering | 28 | 7 | $164,219 | $172,500 | $182,500 |
| District of Columbia | Engineering | 11 | 7 | $158,250 | $167,500 | $185,350 |
| Colorado | Engineering | 22 | 9 | $128,125 | $147,188 | $155,375 |
| Texas | Engineering | 17 | 11 | $114,565 | $144,500 | $160,000 |
| New York | Sales | 16 | 10 | $164,400 | $185,000 | $232,000 |
| US, remote | Sales | 12 | 10 | $141,250 | $171,250 | $253,125 |
| California | Sales | 16 | 11 | $134,500 | $166,250 | $225,000 |
| Massachusetts | Sales | 10 | 6 | $97,750 | $125,250 | $135,625 |
| Job board platform | Company boards | Open postings | With a pay range | Share with pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhouse | 300 | 15,140 | 7,812 | 51.6% |
| Ashby | 175 | 6,257 | 2,806 | 44.8% |
| Lever | 25 | 1,709 | 913 | 53.4% |
| All three | 500 | 23,106 | 11,531 | 49.9% |
T4 (biggest median moves month over month) starts once four weeks of history exist; tracking began on 2026-11-12.
Methodology
- Source: the documented public job-board APIs of Greenhouse (Job Board API), Ashby (Job Postings API) and Lever (Postings API). No logins, no scraping of job sites. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Greenhouse, Ashby or Lever.
- Panel: a fixed panel of 500 companies (300 Greenhouse, 175 Ashby, 25 Lever) with 10 to 500 open jobs each, staffing agencies and job aggregators excluded. It leans toward startups and tech-adjacent employers, so it is not a sample of all US jobs.
- Sample: 23,106 open postings, 11,531 with a pay range, collected on 2026-11-14.
- Pay: the advertised range, annualized (hourly x2080, daily x260, weekly x52, monthly x12). We use the midpoint, one clear range per posting. On-target earnings (OTE), total-compensation ranges and postings listing several unlabelled ranges are excluded. Role family and seniority come from fixed keyword rules on the job title; the engineering family covers software and other engineering titles (hardware, mechanical, quality).
- Minimum cells: at least 10 postings from at least 5 companies. Small cells are suppressed, not merged.
- Caveats: advertised ranges are not actual pay, some companies post very wide ranges, and one company can carry a large share of a cell (see the Companies column). Pay ranges are mostly published because of US pay-transparency laws (CA, CO, NY, WA, IL and others), so states without such laws are under-represented.
- Privacy: aggregates only. No company-level figures, job-description text, names, emails or phone numbers are published.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median advertised salary for a senior engineer in the US in November 2026?
- $176,250 (25th to 75th percentile: $155,000 to $200,000), from 571 US postings at 129 companies.
- What is the median senior engineer salary in California in 2026?
- $185,000 (25th to 75th percentile: $165,000 to $206,000), from 267 California postings at 58 companies.
- What do senior sales roles advertise in the US?
- A median of $137,500 base pay from 95 postings at 37 companies. On-target-earnings (OTE) ranges are left out.
- What share of job postings include a pay range?
- 49.9% of 23,106 open postings across 500 companies on 2026-11-14.
- How is the Salary Index calculated?
- We take the midpoint of each posting's advertised annual range (hourly x2080, monthly x12), keep one clear range per posting, leave out OTE and total-compensation ranges, and publish a cell only with at least 10 postings from at least 5 companies.
- Can I reuse these numbers?
- Yes. The tables are licensed CC BY 4.0: reuse them with a link back to this page.