Java Salary at Startups (2026): $140k median

Market Signal (September 2026)

Top Hirers: FusionAuth leads hiring for Java roles with 13 active posts, followed by Fullstory.

🌍 Location & Remote Dynamics

Remote-Friendly: Java is highly remote-friendly, with 52% of roles open to remote work. Onsite Premium: Onsite Java roles offer a 7% higher median salary ($150,000) than remote alternatives.

💡 Tech Stack Context

Common Stack: 48% of Java jobs also require Kubernetes, and 40% mention PostgreSQL.

💰 Compensation Analysis

The median base salary for Java developers is $140,000, with top-tier roles (P75) reaching $160,000.

Java salary FAQ

What is the median Java developer salary at startups?

The median Java salary is $140k, based on 52 verified Hacker News 'Who is Hiring' listings as of August 2026.

What is the salary range for Java roles?

Java roles run from $135k (25th percentile) to $160k (75th percentile), with top listings reaching $225k.

Do remote Java jobs pay more than onsite?

Remote Java roles show a median of $145k versus $140k onsite in this dataset.

Java jobs (52 total)

COMPANY	ROLE	SALARY	VIBE	STACK
FusionAuth	Principal Software Engineer	$225,000 - $270,000	[F] stable	Java PostgreSQL Docker +5	HN Apply
EnergyHub	Director of Engineering	$225,000 - $225,000	[F] stable	Java Android React +6	HN Apply
Adobe	Forward Deployment Engineering (AI/ML)	$208,300 - $301,600	@HR grind	Python Java Scala +7	HN Apply
Cardless	Senior/Staff Software Engineer - Backend	$180,000 - $260,000	[E] grind	Java AWS Kubernetes +1	HN Apply
Adobe	Staff Backend Engineer (Distributed Systems)	$177,900 - $257,550	[E] grind	Java Scala Spring Boot +7	HN Apply
Talroo	Associate Software Engineer Or Mobile App Developer	$175,000 - $215,000	[F] grind	Spark Scala Python +6	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Engineer	$170,000 - $200,000	[E] stable	Java PostgreSQL Docker +5	HN Apply
Seeq	Staff Software Engineer (Frontend, Backend, Platform)	$170,000 +	@HR stable	Java React PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
Pelotech	Staff Software Engineer	$160,000 - $210,000	@HR zen	TypeScript Golang Python +7	HN Apply
Fullstory	Senior Software Engineer, Android	$160,000 - $170,000	[E] zen	Java Rust Android +1	HN Apply
Tech Nexus	Tech Lead	$160,000 - $200,000	[E] grind	Java GCP Restful Apis +6	HN Apply
Synapto	Payments	€160,000 - €240,000 ≈ $173k	[E] grind	Java Grpc Jooq +9	HN Apply
Fullstory	Senior Software Engineer, AI Focus, Data Management	$160,000 - $190,000	[F] grind	TypeScript React Golang +17	HN Apply
Solventum	Senior Software Engineer	$160,000 - $195,000	[E] grind	C# Java PostgreSQL +4	HN Apply
Fullstory	Senior Systems Software Engineer, Android	$160,000 - $190,000	[F] CRUNCH	Java Gradle Rust	HN Apply
Cardless	Senior Software Engineer - Backend	$160,000 - $200,000	[E] grind	Java AWS Kubernetes +1	HN Apply
InfoMarines Inc	Senior Java Developer	$156,000 - $156,000	@HR stable	Java Mainframe	HN Apply
Upwave	Senior Software Engineer	$150,000 - $175,000	[E] stable	Java Android Spring Boot +8	HN Apply
OneChronos	Systems Engineer	$150,000 - $220,000	[E] grind	Rust C++ Java	HN Apply
Triumph Financial	Engineer (Senior \| Lead \| Staff)	$150,000 - $300,000	[E] grind	Ruby on Rails Elm Java +2	HN Apply
Triumph Financial	Engineer (Senior \| Lead \| Staff) & Senior Product Manager	$150,000 - $300,000	[E] CRUNCH	Ruby on Rails Elm Java +2	HN Apply
KSC Trading	Senior Backend Software Engineer	$150,000 - $200,000	[F] grind	Java Google Cloud Platform PostgreSQL	HN Apply
Artis Works	Backend Engineer	£150,000 - £190,000 ≈ $191k	[E] CRUNCH	Rust Java Clojure +7	HN Apply
FrontRow	Senior Backend Engineer	$150,000 - $200,000	[E] grind	Golang PostgreSQL GraphQL +3	HN Apply
Icario Health	Sr. Software Engineer	$140,900 - $157,600	[E] stable	Cloud Java Java +3	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Engineer	$140,000 - $180,000	[E] stable	Java PostgreSQL Docker +5	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Engineer, Technical Support Engineer, Senior UX Designer, Account Executive	$140,000 - $180,000	[E] grind	Java PostgreSQL Docker +5	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Engineer, Senior Security Engineer, Account Executive	$140,000 - $180,000	[E] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Engineer, Senior Security Engineer, Documentation Engineer, Sr Developer Advocate	$140,000 - $180,000	[E] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Security Engineer, Documentation Engineer, Sr Developer Advocate	$140,000 - $200,000	[E] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
Seeq	Staff Software Engineer (Frontend, Backend, Platform)	$140,000 - $180,000	[E] grind	React TypeScript Android +6	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Application Security Engineer	$140,000 - $200,000	[E] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Software Engineer, Senior Security Engineer	$140,000 - $180,000	[F] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
Godel Terminal	Frontend Engineer, Backend Engineer	$140,000 - $250,000	[E] grind	TypeScript React Websockets +13	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Senior Java Software Engineer	$140,000 - $180,000	[F] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
Lirio	Sr Cloud Engineer	$140,000 - $165,000	[E] stable	Java Python Golang +3	HN Apply
Skylight	Senior Backend Engineer	$140,000 - $213,000	[E] grind	React TypeScript GraphQL +9	HN Apply
FusionAuth	Solutions Engineer, Senior Java Software Engineer	$140,000 - $190,000	[E] grind	Java MySQL PostgreSQL +5	HN Apply
OptTek Systems	Senior Scientific Analyst/Developer	$135,000 - $200,000	@HR stable	Java Python Ai/ml +4	HN Apply
Credit Acceptance	Senior Software Engineer, Deal Central	$130,047 - $190,736	@HR stable	Java Less AWS +4	HN Apply

Java remote → Java onsite → All technologies

Java startup salary data

Median Java salary over time