Salaries

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

21,070 openings with posted pay · 506 companies · Updated Sep 30, 2026

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Sorted by top of posted range

Software & Data in Denver: median base salary $173k · Typical range $138k–$200k · 170 openings with pay.

Software & Data · Denver

169 matching openings with posted pay
1
Vice President Defense and Intelligence Engineering

Planet Labs · Denver, CO · Executive

$257k–$322k / year
2
Staff Software Engineer, Full Stack

True Anomaly · Denver, CO · Staff / Principal

$205k–$315k / year
3
Staff Software Engineer, Elixir

True Anomaly · Denver, CO · Staff / Principal

$205k–$315k / year
4
Chief Engineer, Ground Software

True Anomaly · Denver, CO · Director

$190k–$305k / year
5
Vice President, Space Systems Software

Rocket Lab · Littleton, CO · Executive

$210k–$300k / year
6$184k–$293k / year
7
Principal Data Engineer

True Anomaly · Denver, CO · Staff / Principal

$200k–$290k / year
8
Flight Software Engineer

Impulse Space · Boulder, CO · Mid-Level

$130k–$280k / year

Median base salary

$180k

All openings with posted pay

Typical range

$135k–$228k

25th to 75th percentile

21,070 openings with pay data across 506 companies · 48% of 43,859 tracked openings. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Distribution

Share of openings by posted midpoint

Under $50k
205
$50k–$100k
2,318
$100k–$150k
4,163
$150k–$200k
6,036
$200k–$250k
4,520
$250k–$300k
2,127
$300k–$400k
1,356
$400k+
345

By role

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,097 openings
Typical range $185k–$281k
$232k
Software & Data5,440 openings
Typical range $164k–$250k
$205k
Typical range $160k–$255k
$205k
Typical range $160k–$232k
$193k
Typical range $135k–$241k
$185k
Marketing & Design686 openings
Typical range $154k–$220k
$182k
Electrical & Firmware1,527 openings
Typical range $140k–$218k
$177k
Typical range $125k–$225k
$168k
Typical range $125k–$185k
$158k
Typical range $113k–$185k
$148k
Typical range $103k–$182k
$147k
Typical range $100k–$170k
$140k
Typical range $75k–$148k
$109k

By experience level

Intern606 openings
Typical range $60k–$94k
$71k
Entry-Level1,940 openings
Typical range $77k–$167k
$115k
Mid-Level6,038 openings
Typical range $119k–$200k
$152k
Senior8,274 openings
Typical range $160k–$233k
$193k
Staff / Principal1,669 openings
Typical range $194k–$273k
$231k
Manager1,662 openings
Typical range $150k–$236k
$187k
Director810 openings
Typical range $218k–$295k
$250k
Executive71 openings
Typical range $260k–$317k
$297k

By funding stage

Seed478 openings
Typical range $125k–$190k
$156k
Series A1,300 openings
Typical range $125k–$200k
$163k
Series B1,380 openings
Typical range $135k–$223k
$178k
Series C+13,682 openings
Typical range $143k–$236k
$186k
Public4,190 openings
Typical range $121k–$220k
$169k

By sector

AI Research1,731 openings
Typical range $215k–$351k
$275k
Typical range $177k–$262k
$218k
AI App3,016 openings
Typical range $173k–$260k
$215k
Fintech725 openings
Typical range $147k–$249k
$196k
Robotics574 openings
Typical range $128k–$210k
$175k
Transportation1,245 openings
Typical range $111k–$226k
$173k
Public Services142 openings
Typical range $140k–$225k
$171k
Defense3,158 openings
Typical range $143k–$210k
$170k
Typical range $135k–$215k
$170k
Bio & Health460 openings
Typical range $124k–$218k
$166k
Agriculture164 openings
Typical range $115k–$168k
$160k
Energy & Climate1,533 openings
Typical range $120k–$189k
$158k
Supply Chain251 openings
Typical range $103k–$212k
$156k
Aerospace4,530 openings
Typical range $108k–$180k
$147k
Manufacturing726 openings
Typical range $100k–$180k
$138k
Education37 openings
Typical range $77k–$174k
$112k

Top-paying companies

Median pay · 8+ openings each

1Anthropic327 roles$363k
2Aaru19 roles$353k
3Thinking Machines Lab32 roles$325k
4OpenAI671 roles$308k
5Normal Computing18 roles$300k
6Goodfire12 roles$300k
7Lambda85 roles$288k
8World Labs11 roles$288k
9Wispr Flow29 roles$285k
10Wayve68 roles$282k
11Luma AI12 roles$276k
12Periodic Labs20 roles$275k
13Oxide13 roles$275k
14Generalist AI12 roles$275k
15Gimlet Labs9 roles$270k

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 48% 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 $180k per year, across 21,070 live openings at 506 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $135k and $228k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $232k median, followed by Software & Data ($205k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($205k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
Anthropic tops the list with a $363k median posted base salary, ahead of Aaru ($353k) and Thinking Machines Lab ($325k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 48% 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 21,070 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.