Salaries

What companies building the future pay, straight from their own job postings.

22,223 openings with posted pay · 513 companies · Updated Oct 6, 2026

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Sorted by top of posted range

Infrastructure, IT, & Security in Aerospace: median base salary $169k · Typical range $128k–$213k · 310 openings with pay.

Infrastructure, IT, & Security · Aerospace

310 matching openings with posted pay
1
Principal Security Software Engineer (Starlink)

SpaceX · Palo Alto, CA · Staff / Principal

$235k–$355k / year
2
Chief Information Security Officer

Zipline · South San Francisco, CA · Executive

$250k–$350k / year
4$220k–$350k / year
5$220k–$350k / year
6$220k–$350k / year
7
Principal Security Software Engineer (Starlink)

SpaceX · Redmond, WA · Staff / Principal

$225k–$345k / year
8
Space Datacenter Architect

Cowboy Space Corporation · San Carlos, CA · Staff / Principal

$240k–$340k / year

Median base salary

$177k

All openings with posted pay

Typical range

$133k–$226k

25th to 75th percentile

22,223 openings with pay data across 513 companies · 50% of 44,447 tracked openings. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Distribution

Share of openings by posted midpoint

Under $50k
225
$50k–$100k
2,608
$100k–$150k
4,421
$150k–$200k
6,411
$200k–$250k
4,641
$250k–$300k
2,207
$300k–$400k
1,361
$400k+
349

By role

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,174 openings
Typical range $183k–$278k
$230k
Software & Data5,263 openings
Typical range $165k–$254k
$208k
Typical range $160k–$254k
$203k
Typical range $158k–$230k
$193k
Marketing & Design749 openings
Typical range $150k–$219k
$180k
Typical range $130k–$238k
$178k
Electrical & Firmware1,689 openings
Typical range $139k–$216k
$175k
Typical range $126k–$228k
$168k
Typical range $123k–$183k
$155k
Typical range $113k–$185k
$148k
Typical range $99k–$177k
$143k
Typical range $99k–$170k
$137k
Typical range $75k–$148k
$108k

By experience level

Intern734 openings
Typical range $60k–$95k
$71k
Entry-Level1,985 openings
Typical range $72k–$160k
$109k
Mid-Level6,189 openings
Typical range $116k–$195k
$150k
Senior8,695 openings
Typical range $160k–$230k
$193k
Staff / Principal1,861 openings
Typical range $193k–$270k
$228k
Manager1,791 openings
Typical range $148k–$235k
$185k
Director893 openings
Typical range $215k–$295k
$248k
Executive75 openings
Typical range $265k–$317k
$300k

By funding stage

Seed523 openings
Typical range $125k–$188k
$158k
Series A1,328 openings
Typical range $125k–$200k
$163k
Series B1,469 openings
Typical range $131k–$223k
$175k
Series C+14,238 openings
Typical range $143k–$235k
$185k
Public4,626 openings
Typical range $115k–$220k
$165k

By sector

AI Research1,747 openings
Typical range $215k–$351k
$280k
Typical range $175k–$262k
$218k
AI App3,109 openings
Typical range $170k–$260k
$215k
Fintech846 openings
Typical range $138k–$245k
$190k
Robotics596 openings
Typical range $128k–$210k
$175k
Public Services138 openings
Typical range $140k–$225k
$171k
Defense3,393 openings
Typical range $143k–$208k
$170k
Typical range $135k–$215k
$170k
Bio & Health484 openings
Typical range $125k–$220k
$168k
Supply Chain248 openings
Typical range $112k–$207k
$160k
Agriculture158 openings
Typical range $115k–$168k
$158k
Energy & Climate1,587 openings
Typical range $120k–$188k
$155k
Transportation1,633 openings
Typical range $95k–$215k
$153k
Aerospace4,646 openings
Typical range $108k–$180k
$146k
Manufacturing744 openings
Typical range $95k–$175k
$135k
Education41 openings
Typical range $78k–$174k
$120k

Top-paying companies

Median pay · 8+ openings each

1Anthropic363 roles$360k
2Aaru19 roles$353k
3Thinking Machines Lab34 roles$330k
4OpenAI659 roles$308k
5Normal Computing17 roles$300k
6Goodfire12 roles$300k
7Lambda87 roles$288k
8World Labs11 roles$288k
9Periodic Labs23 roles$288k
10MatX46 roles$288k
11Wispr Flow30 roles$285k
12Wayve48 roles$285k
13Gimlet Labs10 roles$279k
14Luma AI12 roles$276k
15Oxide12 roles$275k

Methodology

All figures come from salary ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled from their applicant tracking systems hourly. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

Pay in other currencies is converted at fixed recent exchange rates. Hourly, weekly, and monthly pay is annualized. Everything is base salary only. Equity and bonus are excluded because postings rarely quantify them.

Stats are medians and quartiles of each posting's range midpoint, weighted by open roles. Groups with fewer than 30 openings (8 for a single company) are not shown.

Numbers reflect currently open roles, not historical offers. About 50% of tracked openings post pay. US pay-transparency laws drive most disclosure, so coverage skews to US roles. Explore hiring patterns in the hiring report.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary at companies building the future?
The median posted base salary is $177k per year, across 22,223 live openings at 513 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $133k and $226k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $230k median, followed by Software & Data ($208k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($203k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
Anthropic tops the list with a $360k median posted base salary, ahead of Aaru ($353k) and Thinking Machines Lab ($330k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 50% of the openings BuildList tracks post a pay range. Disclosure is highest at US companies covered by pay-transparency laws, so coverage skews to US roles.
Where does this salary data come from?
From the pay ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled hourly from their applicant tracking systems and normalized to annual base salary. Equity and bonus are excluded. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

These numbers come from 22,223 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.