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Salaries

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

21,458 openings with posted pay · 505 companies · Updated Sep 30, 2026

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Sorted by top of posted range

Software & Data in Aerospace: median base salary $168k · Typical range $140k–$198k · 739 openings with pay.

Software & Data · Aerospace

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

Planet Labs · San Francisco, CA · Executive

$293k–$366k / year
2
GM - Maritime

Merlin Labs · Washington, D.C. · Mid-Level

$255k–$360k / year
3
Staff Engineer (Defense)

ASI · Boston, MA · Staff / Principal

$260k–$355k / year
4
Chief Financial Officer

Xona Space Systems · Burlingame, CA · Entry-Level

$250k–$350k / year
5
Principal Software Engineer, Power Optimization (Starlink)

SpaceX · Redmond, WA · Staff / Principal

$210k–$345k / year
6
Principal RF Software Engineer (Starshield)

SpaceX · Hawthorne, CA · Staff / Principal

$210k–$340k / year
7
Vice President Defense and Intelligence Engineering

Planet Labs · Arlington, VA · Executive

$257k–$322k / year
8
Vice President Defense and Intelligence Engineering

Planet Labs · Denver, CO · Executive

$257k–$322k / year

Median base salary

$178k

All openings with posted pay

Typical range

$135k–$228k

25th to 75th percentile

21,458 openings with pay data across 505 companies · 48% of 44,452 tracked openings. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Distribution

Share of openings by posted midpoint

Under $50k
239
$50k–$100k
2,462
$100k–$150k
4,275
$150k–$200k
6,106
$200k–$250k
4,526
$250k–$300k
2,152
$300k–$400k
1,353
$400k+
345

By role

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,120 openings
Typical range $185k–$280k
$231k
Software & Data5,425 openings
Typical range $164k–$251k
$205k
Infrastructure, IT, & Security1,700 openings
Typical range $158k–$255k
$205k
Product, Programs, & Systems1,799 openings
Typical range $155k–$230k
$193k
Marketing & Design689 openings
Typical range $154k–$220k
$183k
Business Development & Customer Ops2,106 openings
Typical range $133k–$241k
$182k
Electrical & Firmware1,541 openings
Typical range $140k–$217k
$177k
Finance, Legal, & Compliance1,146 openings
Typical range $115k–$221k
$161k
Mechanical & Physical Systems1,494 openings
Typical range $125k–$185k
$157k
Business & People Operations966 openings
Typical range $113k–$184k
$148k
Test, Quality, & Reliability1,440 openings
Typical range $102k–$180k
$146k
Supply Chain & Procurement693 openings
Typical range $101k–$170k
$140k
Manufacturing & Production1,339 openings
Typical range $74k–$148k
$109k

By experience level

Intern641 openings
Typical range $60k–$94k
$71k
Entry-Level2,037 openings
Typical range $73k–$163k
$111k
Mid-Level6,048 openings
Typical range $118k–$198k
$150k
Senior8,438 openings
Typical range $160k–$232k
$193k
Staff / Principal1,709 openings
Typical range $193k–$271k
$230k
Manager1,702 openings
Typical range $148k–$235k
$185k
Director813 openings
Typical range $218k–$296k
$250k
Executive70 openings
Typical range $260k–$317k
$296k

By funding stage

Seed478 openings
Typical range $125k–$195k
$157k
Series A1,302 openings
Typical range $125k–$200k
$163k
Series B1,380 openings
Typical range $135k–$224k
$178k
Series C+13,728 openings
Typical range $143k–$236k
$186k
Public4,532 openings
Typical range $115k–$220k
$165k

By sector

AI Research1,732 openings
Typical range $215k–$351k
$278k
Compute & Semiconductors2,674 openings
Typical range $177k–$263k
$218k
AI App3,011 openings
Typical range $172k–$260k
$215k
Fintech731 openings
Typical range $146k–$248k
$195k
Robotics572 openings
Typical range $125k–$210k
$175k
Construction & Housing110 openings
Typical range $135k–$215k
$173k
Public Services143 openings
Typical range $140k–$225k
$171k
Defense3,155 openings
Typical range $143k–$210k
$170k
Bio & Health462 openings
Typical range $125k–$218k
$165k
Agriculture163 openings
Typical range $115k–$170k
$160k
Energy & Climate1,542 openings
Typical range $120k–$188k
$158k
Supply Chain252 openings
Typical range $103k–$212k
$155k
Transportation1,613 openings
Typical range $96k–$215k
$153k
Aerospace4,529 openings
Typical range $108k–$180k
$146k
Manufacturing732 openings
Typical range $95k–$178k
$137k
Education37 openings
Typical range $77k–$174k
$112k

Top-paying companies

Median pay · 8+ openings each

1Anthropic337 roles$363k
2Aaru19 roles$353k
3Thinking Machines Lab33 roles$325k
4OpenAI673 roles$308k
5Normal Computing18 roles$300k
6Goodfire12 roles$300k
7Lambda85 roles$288k
8World Labs11 roles$288k
9Wispr Flow28 roles$285k
10Wayve66 roles$282k
11Luma AI12 roles$276k
12Periodic Labs20 roles$275k
13Oxide13 roles$275k
14Generalist AI12 roles$275k
15Gimlet Labs11 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 $178k per year, across 21,458 live openings at 505 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $135k and $228k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $231k 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 21,458 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.

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