Mid-level software engineer salary at San Francisco startups
Computed from the salary ranges venture-backed startups post on their own job sites, aggregated on the live roles.cc board. Not a survey, and updated through the day.
$215K
Median posted base
$193K - $250K
Typical range, 25th to 75th percentile
283
Live priced postings in the sample
$205K
Mid-level software engineer median across all US markets
How San Francisco compares
San Francisco runs $15K above New York for mid-level software engineers
$200K median there
San Francisco runs $25K above Remote (US) for mid-level software engineers
$190K median there
Questions people ask
What does a mid-level software engineer make at a startup in San Francisco?
Across 283 live postings with a USD range at venture-backed startups, the median posted base is $215K, with a typical range of $193K to $250K. That is base salary only; startup offers add equity on top.
Does this include equity or bonus?
No. These figures are posted base salary ranges only. Equity is usually the larger upside at earlier stages, which is why a startup base can trail big tech while the total package does not.
How current are these numbers?
They recompute from the live roles.cc board several times a day. Each figure traces to the salary range a company posted on its own job site, so the page reflects offers being made now.
Other cuts
These are live roles, not survey rows.
Every posting behind these numbers is open right now on the board, sorted by how recently the company raised.
Method: USD base ranges as posted; each role counts once at the midpoint of its range; buckets under 12 roles suppressed. Free to cite with attribution to roles.cc and a link to this page.