All careers
68/ 100
Tech #83 of 1000 overall

Staff Engineer

PerspectaScore 68/100 — our composite grade across wealth, freedom, stability, ROI, burnout and automation risk.

Where Staff Engineer ranks

How this career places against all 1000 careers in our database.

The nine scores

Wealth Potential91/100

Lifetime net-worth percentile vs every other career.

Freedom & Flexibility89/100

Remote work, mobility, self-employment and early-FI potential.

Job Stability60/100

Resilience to layoffs and recessions.

Career Mobility100/100

Room to climb and grow income over time.

Geographic Flexibility100/100

How easily this career relocates between states.

Degree / Training ROI69/100

Payoff relative to the time and debt to get in.

Family Friendliness48/100

Stability, benefits and lower burnout for raising a family.

Burnout Risk70/100

Emotional and physical toll of the work.

Automation Risk60/100

Exposure to being replaced by AI / automation.

Key facts

Median salary
$148,000
Median take-home
$111,620
Top 10% salary
$247,000
Net worth @ 65
$8.7M
Lifetime earnings
$13M
Financial independence
Age 41
Education
Bachelor's
Typical debt
$30,000

Best states

CaliforniaWashingtonNew YorkTexasColorado

Based on pay, demand and cost of living. Educational estimates · methodology.

Compare with similar Tech careers

Careers with a comparable PerspectaScore — see how the trade-offs shift.

Keep exploring

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