Leidos backend engineering salaries

Across 98 open backend engineering postings at Leidos that state a range, the middle half pays $122k–$184k a year, with a median of $151k. The lowest posted floor is $48k and the highest ceiling $278k. This is base pay as posted by Leidos, converted to US dollars; equity and bonus are not included.

From pay ranges in open postingsRebuilt 12 Oct 2026

The range

Lowest floor$48k
25th percentile$122k
Median$151k
75th percentile$184k
Highest ceiling$278k

Postings by the midpoint of the posted range, in steps of $20k

Middle halfMedian bucket

Median by team at Leidos

Data science$163k
Engineering leadership$163k
Solutions engineering$151k
Management$151k
Backend engineering$151k
HR and recruiting$151k

Postings with a stated range: Data science 43 · Engineering leadership 17 · Solutions engineering 30 · DevOps and infrastructure 127 · Security 103 · Management 77 · Backend engineering 98 · HR and recruiting 20

Backend engineering pay by level

LevelPostingsMedianMiddle half
Junior11$98k$81k–$98k
Mid-level20$122k$98k–$125k
Senior34$151k$151k–$173k
Staff and principal10$184k$184k–$216k
Lead18$184k$151k–$184k

Best-paid open backend engineering roles

Software Engineer (SME)
BethesdaStaff and principal
$154k–$278kAug 4
Java Developer (SME)
BethesdaStaff and principal
$154k–$278kAug 4
$154k–$278kAug 26
Biometrics Software Engineer (SME)
BethesdaStaff and principal
$154k–$278kAug 4
Software Developer SME
ChantillyStaff and principal
$154k–$278kAug 11
$154k–$278kOct 9

110 backend engineering roles open at Leidos now

98 of them show the pay range on the posting.

Questions

How much does Leidos pay for backend engineering roles?

The median of the 98 posted ranges is $151k a year; the middle half sits between $122k and $184k.

Is this base salary or total compensation?

Base salary as written in the posting. Many US employers post ranges under state pay transparency laws (California, New York, Washington, Colorado and others); equity and bonus are not part of these figures.

Why posted ranges and not self-reported salaries?

A posted range is what the employer commits to for a role it has open today. It is fresher than a survey and cannot be inflated by respondents. Each posting counts once, at the midpoint of its range.

Which level pays most?

Staff and principal roles have the highest median here: $184k a year across 10 postings.

Source: the pay ranges of 98 open postings on Leidos's careers board; the midpoint of each rangeUpdated 12 Oct 2026MethodologyJSONCC BY-SA 4.0