How much does a Staff Engineer make?

Updated Sep 23, 2023

Experience

Industry

$195,245 / yrTotal Pay
$133,844 / yrBase Pay
$61,401 / yrAdditional Pay

$195,245

 / yr
$120K$324K
Most Likely Range
Possible Range

The estimated total pay for a Staff Engineer is $195,245 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $133,844 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $61,401 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

How accurate does $195,245 look to you?

Your input helps Glassdoor refine our pay estimates over time.

Top Paying Companies

For a Staff Engineer in United States

Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for a Staff Engineer in United States. Employers include Google, Meta and Twitter.

1
Google
Google
$308,472/yr
2K open jobs
2
Meta
$305,436/yr
3
Twitter
$290,686/yr
4
Reddit
$289,638/yr
6
Uber
$274,767/yr
7
Lyft
$270,704/yr
8
Apple
$262,191/yr
10
eBay
$253,117/yr
See pay for all companies for a Staff Engineer in United StatesView data as table

Top Paying Companies

For Staff Engineer in United States

1Google$308,472
2Meta$305,436
3Twitter$290,686
4Reddit$289,638
5LinkedIn$276,076
6Uber$274,767
7Lyft$270,704
8Apple$262,191
9Alibaba Group$256,216
10eBay$253,117

What are total pay estimates for a Staff Engineer at different companies?

or
Sort:
Company
Jobs
Total Pay Range
Qualcomm
4.1
Staff EngineerSee 641 salaries from all locations

$210,695

 / yr
VMware
4.4
Staff EngineerSee 478 salaries from all locations

$239,295

 / yr
Seagate Technology
3.6
Staff EngineerSee 202 salaries from all locations

$191,318

 / yr
Canoo
3
Staff EngineerSee 160 salaries from all locations

$177,478

 / yr
Samsung Semiconductor Inc (US)
4
Staff EngineerSee 149 salaries from all locations

$183,890

 / yr
Juniper Networks
4.3
Staff EngineerSee 137 salaries from all locations

$180,447

 / yr
Langan Engineering and Environmental Services
4
Staff EngineerSee 134 salaries from all locations

$86,938

 / yr

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Western Digital
3.7
Staff EngineerSee 134 salaries from all locations

$191,633

 / yr
Terracon
3.8
Staff EngineerSee 126 salaries from all locations

$105,701

 / yr
Booz Allen Hamilton
4.2
Staff EngineerSee 112 salaries from all locations

$115,364

 / yr
Marvell Technology
4.1
Staff EngineerSee 109 salaries from all locations

$202,455

 / yr
Dolby
4.2
Staff EngineerSee 107 salaries from all locations

$192,343

 / yr
Palo Alto Networks
4.2
Staff EngineerSee 104 salaries from all locations

$226,635

 / yr
IBM
3.9
Staff EngineerSee 101 salaries from all locations

$153,615

 / yr
Tellabs
3.8
Staff EngineerSee 100 salaries from all locations

$155,254

 / yr
Arm
4.2
Staff EngineerSee 97 salaries from all locations

$226,140

 / yr
GE Aerospace
3.9
Staff EngineerSee 94 salaries from all locations

$119,362

 / yr
Intel Corporation
4.1
Staff EngineerSee 92 salaries from all locations

$209,454

 / yr
Qualcomm
4.1
Staff, EngineerSee 87 salaries from all locations

$206,905

 / yr
Pratt & Whitney
3.8
Staff EngineerSee 83 salaries from all locations

$126,777

 / yr
Download as data table

Staff Engineer Salaries

Job TitleSalary
Qualcomm Staff Engineer salaries - 641 salaries reported$210,695/yr
VMware Staff Engineer salaries - 478 salaries reported$239,295/yr
Seagate Technology Staff Engineer salaries - 202 salaries reported$191,318/yr
Canoo Staff Engineer salaries - 160 salaries reported$177,478/yr
Samsung Semiconductor Inc (US) Staff Engineer salaries - 149 salaries reported$183,890/yr
Juniper Networks Staff Engineer salaries - 137 salaries reported$180,447/yr
Langan Engineering and Environmental Services Staff Engineer salaries - 134 salaries reported$86,938/yr
Western Digital Staff Engineer salaries - 134 salaries reported$191,633/yr
Terracon Staff Engineer salaries - 126 salaries reported$105,701/yr
Booz Allen Hamilton Staff Engineer salaries - 112 salaries reported$115,364/yr
Marvell Technology Staff Engineer salaries - 109 salaries reported$202,455/yr
Dolby Staff Engineer salaries - 107 salaries reported$192,343/yr
Palo Alto Networks Staff Engineer salaries - 104 salaries reported$226,635/yr
IBM Staff Engineer salaries - 101 salaries reported$153,615/yr
Tellabs Staff Engineer salaries - 100 salaries reported$155,254/yr
Arm Staff Engineer salaries - 97 salaries reported$226,140/yr
GE Aerospace Staff Engineer salaries - 94 salaries reported$119,362/yr
Intel Corporation Staff Engineer salaries - 92 salaries reported$209,454/yr
Qualcomm Staff, Engineer salaries - 87 salaries reported$206,905/yr
Pratt & Whitney Staff Engineer salaries - 83 salaries reported$126,777/yr
Viewing 1 - 20 of 2,560

Top Paying Industries

For a Staff Engineer in United States

The top 5 paying industries for a Staff Engineer in United States are Information Technology with a median total pay of $217,492, Arts, Entertainment & Recreation with a median total pay of $205,164, Retail & Wholesale with a median total pay of $198,299, Healthcare with a median total pay of $162,015, and Financial Services with a median total pay of $156,490.

IndustryTotal PayTotal Pay Insight
  • Information TechnologyInformation Technology$217,492

    35% Higher than other industries

  • Arts, Entertainment & RecreationArts, Entertainment & Recreation$205,164

    31% Higher than other industries

  • Retail & WholesaleRetail & Wholesale$198,299

    29% Higher than other industries

  • HealthcareHealthcare$162,015

    13% Higher than other industries

  • Financial ServicesFinancial Services$156,490

    10% Higher than other industries

Information Technology

Top paying companies in Information Technology for Staff Engineer are Google, Meta, and Twitter.

GoogleGoogle$308,472/yr
MetaMeta$305,436/yr
TwitterTwitter$290,686/yr

Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview

What is the pay outlook for Engineering?

Engineering jobs are in high demand with workers receiving generous compensation packages and bonuses. Engineering offers ample opportunity for growth and development with transferable skills across an array of fields from software, supply chain and logistics to aerospace. Most roles require at least a bachelor’s degree. To remain competitive, job-seekers should consider specialization or skill-specific programs such as coding boot-camps or certifications.

Recent Salaries Shared

For staff engineer

Salary Share
Anonymously share your pay to help the community

Job Title

Location

Total Pay

Base Pay | Additional Pay

Total Years of Experience

Years at Recent Employer

Submitted

Date or Time

Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$110,000

/yr

$100K | $10K

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$185,000

/yr

$162K | $23K

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
Staff Engineer I

United States of America

 | <1 year

$68,500

/yr

$67K | $2K

Submitted Yesterday

<1 year
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | <1 year

$148,000

/yr

$139K | $9K

Submitted Yesterday

<1 year
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$54,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$79,999

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | <1 year

$90,500

/yr

$90K | $500

Submitted Yesterday

<1 year
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | 7-9 years

$82,260

/yr

$81K | $2K

Submitted Yesterday

7-9 years
Yesterday
Staff Engineer

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$99,600

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday

Staff Engineer pay FAQ

The average salary for a Staff Engineer is $195,245 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 11206 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Staff Engineer employees in United States.

The highest salary for a Staff Engineer in United States is $256,451 per year.

The lowest salary for a Staff Engineer in United States is $151,126 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming a Staff Engineer or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Staff Engineer.

Anonymous reports to Glassdoor show that currently, when considering their background and role's functions, 71% of staff engineers feel satisfied with their salary. As an addition to the annual salary that staff engineers make, there are options to make $61,392.61 in auxiliary pay.

In your staff engineer career path, you can expect to advance through different positions with varying levels of pay. The average salary is currently $133,833.25, with entry-level roles earning about $120,126.51. A senior engineer's salary can go up to $324,269.85 with experience in the role. Those with several years of experience can receive as much as $195,225.86.

Taking charge of building on your existing knowledge is essential to making more money in your staff engineer career. Acquiring engineering credentials, whether through a formal degree program for a bachelor's or master's degree or a vocational training plan, are crucial first steps that equip you with the necessary tools for the job. You should also explore becoming a certified engineer so you have the needed credentials for various state licensing requirements. These steps can make a significant difference in your ability to earn a higher salary as a staff engineer.

The role of a staff engineer requires multiple skill sets and experience in order to prosper in new staff engineer positions. When putting together a pay offer, companies take into account their perceived value of your skills. This means it falls on you to look at current job postings and see what the market rate is for someone with your qualifications. Outline your in-demand skills and lean into buzzwords, such as the "value you can create" and how your "experience directly translates to the position," to show why you believe you can command the salary you're asking for.

About 71.08% of Staff Engineer professionals feel satisfied with their salary, according to anonymous Glassdoor ratings. An additional $61,393 in potential pay per year, among other factors, can qualify the annual pay of a Staff Engineer in United States as a good salary.

Staff Engineer professionals in United States have a wide total pay range, between $120,127 and $324,270 depending on experience, with an estimated total pay of $195,226 following the average career path of a Staff Engineer.

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