Backend Engineer Salary in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
This is what we do all day: recruit technology and IT professionals.
Technology Headhunters uses BLS OEWS data to answer this pay question. The median pay for Backend Engineer in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is $166,830 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $130,650 and $205,970 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1252).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1252, Software Developers. BLS reports Software Developers as a broader occupation. It does not separate Backend Engineer, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
The BLS area "New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ" also serves northern new jersey, so those pages share these figures.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1252. Other titles in our taxonomy map to it and show the same numbers. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation. They are not experience levels.
The New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $30,850 above the national median of $135,980 (22.7%).
Role median / all-occupation median2.72x$166,830 / $61,430
Location quotient (employment concentration)1.17Not a pay adjustment
Employment121,000BLS estimate
Backend Engineer, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$101,690
25th percentile
$130,650
Median
$166,830
75th percentile
$205,970
90th percentile
$224,590
Mean
$165,870
Backend Engineer, New York
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$97,430
25th percentile
$127,160
Median
$166,180
75th percentile
$205,540
90th percentile
$224,590
Mean
$163,820
Backend Engineer, United States
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$82,460
25th percentile
$105,210
Median
$135,980
75th percentile
$171,980
90th percentile
$214,670
Mean
$148,100
A figure shown as "or more" is top-coded. BLS does not publish exact wages at or above $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour.
Relative pay is the role's annual median divided by the BLS all-occupations (SOC 00-0000) annual median for New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Location quotient compares this occupation's share of local jobs with its national share. It measures concentration, not pay.
What these figures leave out for technology hires
BLS OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rate, guaranteed pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses, and cost-of-living allowances. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance and employer-paid benefits.
Our interpretation, not a BLS statement: the BLS definition does not name stock or equity grants, so we treat them as outside these figures and add nothing for them. If a technology offer leans on discretionary bonus or equity, we read the published figure as describing only the cash pay inside the BLS definition.
BLS definition: Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
May 2024 and May 2025 medians
Backend Engineer, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$161,970
May 2025
$166,830
The median moved up $4,860 (+3.0%), from $161,970 in May 2024 to $166,830 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.
What do these figures mean for Backend Engineer in New York City?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Backend Engineer in New York City. The Backend Engineer comparison uses a $166,830 median for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in New York City. That $166,830 point divides the published distribution for Backend Engineer in New York City; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $166,830 for Backend Engineer in New York City, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Backend Engineer in New York City, the published middle band runs from $130,650 at P25 to $205,970 at P75. The middle-band width in this Backend Engineer in New York City comparison is $75,320. The $130,650 and $205,970 markers for Backend Engineer in New York City describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this New York City band for Backend Engineer requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Backend Engineer in New York City is $101,690 at P10, and the upper marker is $224,590 at P90. Those Backend Engineer in New York City values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $224,590 marker for Backend Engineer in New York City says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Backend Engineer in New York City cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Backend Engineer in New York City, the $166,830 area median compares with $135,980 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Backend Engineer in New York City comparison is $30,850. Both Backend Engineer in New York City comparison cells use SOC 15-1252, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That New York City-national difference for Backend Engineer is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Backend Engineer in New York City are Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT, with a $162,650 median for SOC 15-1252; Trenton-Princeton, NJ, with a $128,770 median for SOC 15-1252. These Backend Engineer in New York City neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Backend Engineer row with its own area label; a nearby metro is not a substitute estimate for an unpublished New York City cell.
A comparable May 2024 median is not available for this Backend Engineer in New York City selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $166,830 May 2025 median for Backend Engineer in New York City stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Backend Engineer in New York City cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the New York City area and SOC 15-1252 labels attached when sharing this Backend Engineer in New York City result.
The published mean for Backend Engineer in New York City is $165,870, alongside the $166,830 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Backend Engineer in New York City is -$960. The mean and median for Backend Engineer in New York City summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Backend Engineer in New York City summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.
A complete Backend Engineer in New York City offer needs terms the Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $166,830 Backend Engineer in New York City comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Backend Engineer in New York City; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Backend Engineer in New York City, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $166,830 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Backend Engineer in New York City is 121,000 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252). That Backend Engineer in New York City estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the New York City estimate for Backend Engineer are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Backend Engineer in New York City employment row to understand the occupation's reported presence, while keeping the search for an individual hire separate.
Which national industries report pay for Backend Engineer in New York City?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252), selected for this Backend Engineer in New York City discussion. These Backend Engineer industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for New York City.
National industry rows for Backend Engineer in New York City, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)
621330
$241,610
100
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
621300
$166,710
630
Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists
621340
$166,670
Not published by BLS
Software Publishers
513200
$164,550
173,080
Offices of All Other Health Practitioners
621390
$163,630
Not published by BLS
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities
523000
$163,290
34,940
Questions about Backend Engineer in New York City
Which occupation prices Backend Engineer in New York City?
The Backend Engineer in New York City figures use Software Developers, SOC 15-1252. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Backend Engineer opening in New York City.
Does the Backend Engineer in New York City band price seniority?
The $130,650 to $205,970 band describes the published occupation distribution for Backend Engineer in New York City. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Backend Engineer in New York City.
Can I treat the May 2025 Backend Engineer in New York City median as a complete offer?
The $166,830 wage cell for Backend Engineer in New York City starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Backend Engineer in New York City need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.