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The following report examines data we've collected this past year and dives into the top paying companies and locations. You can view last year's report here.
Although the data is for software engineers, the top paying companies and locations often carry across tech roles. As always, compensation and leveling depend on a variety of factors including interview performance, past experience, competitive offers, etc. The compensation numbers here are for the top paying tech companies and locations - it may not reflect compensation for the rest of the market.
Top Pay by Level
The Levels.fyi Standard is a leveling hierarchy we've abstracted from company-specific names to make aggregation easier. Click through the tabs below to view up to 7 top paying companies by level from 2021. View the compensation for all companies here.
New-grads or little to no industry experience. Develop and maintain low to moderately complex components working on a team. Typically receives guidance and support from more experienced team members.
Develop and own moderate to complex components. Possibly lead a small team or project. Ability to mentor engineers, provide technical guidance, code reviews, design and deliver on small projects end-to-end. Impact is typically at the immediate team scope. At many companies, this is considered a 'career-level', as in you can spend the rest of your career operating at this level without being pushed out for not being promoted.
Typically less than 30% of employees in a company are at this level. Expected to lead and own complex technical initiatives. Begin setting the vision and future direction of team. Impact across multiple related teams within an org. Role shifts more towards design rather than implementation depending on size and expectations at company.
This level is much more coveted than the previous ones. Typically less than 10% of employees in a company are at this level. Impact spans across organizations. Entrusted with business-critical projects and for setting technical vision for an org or multiple orgs. Responsible for reviewing and providing feedback on technical designs across an org. Little to no day-to-day coding. Role depends highly on organizational and company needs and becomes loosely defined. Expected to operate fully autonomously.
This level is representative of a small percentage of people at a company. Therefore, some companies may not have had enough data points to be listed.
Typically 15+ years of experience. Usually less than 3% of employees in a company are at this level. Smaller companies may not have any individuals at this level. Impact spans across the company and sometimes industry. Expected to operate fully autonomously.
Top Pay by Location
We crunched the numbers across the United States and internationally and found the following cities to have the highest median pay.
Want to see more? Introducing our Live Leaderboard
Our all new live leaderboard features top paying companies refreshed to reflect the the most recent data. Keep tabs on the latest information without having to tune into our reports. You can filter by different locations and discover companies not listed above.
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