Engineering leads all remote teams in 2026 at a $200,000 median midpoint of posted pay, followed by product ($195,000), data ($185,000), and design ($184,750). The full ranked list of 12 teams, seniority tiers, and top-paying employers below comes from Still Remote's October 30, 2026 read of 5,759 clean US pay ranges across 401 remote-first companies.
As of October 30, 2026, Still Remote read the job boards of 570 remote-first companies and counted 11,320 open remote roles. Out of that total, 6,294 open roles post pay on the employer's own board. Focusing on clean data for mid-career professionals, there are 5,759 open remote roles posting a clean annual range in US dollars at 401 companies. A posted pay range counts as clean when the top is no more than 2.5 times the bottom and no more than $1.2M. The midpoint of a range is halfway between its bottom and its top. Taking all of this into account, the how Still Remote counts methodology confirms that the overall median midpoint across all 5,759 clean US ranges is $167,500.
For professionals evaluating their next career move, understanding how much these remote roles actually post can simplify the job hunt. Mid-career professionals looking at posted pay by team can see a clear split between technical functions and other departments. The rankings below cover the median midpoint of posted US ranges across 12 core teams.
1. Engineering
Engineering posts a $200,000 median midpoint across 1,278 roles, leading all teams. At the upper end, the 90th percentile top of range reaches $300,000. Staff, principal, and distinguished engineers, along with engineering directors and VPs leading infrastructure, security, distributed systems, and AI platform teams, sit at the top of posted pay for open remote engineering postings. These advanced individual contributor and executive roles require deep technical specialization, which consistently drives the highest posted pay ranges in the remote market. Remote-first organizations depend on these engineering systems to operate smoothly at scale.
2. Product
Product roles record a $195,000 median midpoint based on 422 open remote roles. At the high end, the 90th percentile top of range reaches $300,000. Group product managers, principal product managers, and directors or VPs of product overseeing core platform architecture, developer tools, or enterprise product lines sit at the top of this team range. Professionals in these senior product roles guide multi-product strategies and technical execution, commanding posted pay just behind engineering. As companies rely on specialized software tools to maintain productivity, product leadership remains a focal point for remote hiring.
3. Data
Data roles show a $185,000 median midpoint across 324 roles. This team features a highly competitive 90th percentile top of range at $322,000. Machine learning research scientists, principal data scientists, staff analytics engineers, and heads of data or AI infrastructure usually capture the top of this range. As technical demands grow, the individuals building the underlying infrastructure for data models and machine learning consistently see elevated posted pay ranges. The volume of open remote roles in data reflects a continued push to leverage analytics across distributed networks.
4. Design
Design posts a $184,750 median midpoint based on 150 roles. The 90th percentile top of range for this team hits $290,000. Staff and principal product designers, design systems leads, and directors or heads of design overseeing multi-product user experience are the roles that sit at the top of the team range. Creating cohesive, scalable design systems for complex digital products remains highly valued by remote-first employers.
5. Clinical
Clinical roles feature a $178,000 median midpoint across 319 roles, but they reach a $375,000 90th percentile top of range. Licensed physicians, psychiatrists, medical directors, and specialized telehealth clinicians in virtual care and digital health organizations sit at the top of the clinical team range. This high ceiling reflects the distinct split in the field between general allied health professionals and specialized, licensed medical directors practicing virtual care.
6. Legal
Legal roles post a $172,500 median midpoint across 215 open roles. For this team, the 90th percentile top of range rests at $284,160. General counsel, deputy general counsel, and senior commercial, privacy, intellectual property, or regulatory counsel sit at the top of this team range. Managing compliance, privacy frameworks, and complex intellectual property portfolios in a distributed environment requires specialized experience that drives these high posted ranges.
7. Sales
Sales roles offer a $165,000 median midpoint across 1,145 roles, with a 90th percentile top of range of $300,000. Enterprise and strategic account executives, regional VPs of sales, and directors of revenue or solutions engineering closing complex enterprise contracts sit at the top of the range. Sales features the second-largest volume of roles posting a clean US range, highlighting the ongoing need for experienced remote revenue drivers.
8. People
People roles post a $148,950 median midpoint based on 149 roles. The 90th percentile top of range reaches $259,360. VPs of people, heads of total rewards or talent acquisition, and senior people business partners supporting distributed executive teams sit at the top of the team range. Remote-first organizations rely heavily on these senior leaders to scale distributed cultures and manage intricate global hiring logistics.
9. Marketing
Marketing roles show a $145,000 median midpoint across 390 roles. The 90th percentile top of range for the marketing team hits $242,290. VPs of marketing, heads of growth or demand generation, and directors of product marketing for technical and B2B software products usually sit at the top of this range. Professionals who can align product marketing with enterprise sales motions consistently secure the higher end of posted pay for this team.
10. Finance
Finance roles record a $141,400 median midpoint across 308 roles. The 90th percentile top of range reaches $250,000. Chief financial officers, VPs of finance, corporate controllers, and directors of strategic finance or FP&A sit at the top of the team range. Managing distributed payroll, forecasting, and remote corporate governance ensures that experienced finance leaders command strong posted pay.
11. Operations
Operations roles post a $140,000 median midpoint based on 322 roles. The 90th percentile top of range for operations sits at $289,000. Chiefs of staff, VPs of business operations, and directors of strategy and operations running cross-functional company execution sit at the top of the operations range. These roles bridge gaps between departments and drive cross-functional alignment across fully distributed teams.
12. Customer
Customer roles feature a $122,500 median midpoint across 440 roles, hitting a 90th percentile top of range at $213,693. VPs of customer success, directors of global support or professional services, and principal enterprise customer success managers sit at the top of this team range. Retention and account expansion remain critical for remote companies, making senior customer success roles a highly valuable career track.
Seniority matters more than team
Seniority, read directly from the job title across all 5,759 roles, drives posted pay more strongly than functional department alone. Looking across all teams combined, director, VP, head of, and chief titles post a $210,000 median midpoint across 686 roles. Staff, principal, and lead titles match that exact figure, posting a $210,000 median midpoint across 691 roles. Senior titles show a $170,499 median midpoint based on 921 roles. Manager titles record a $157,500 median midpoint across 1,467 roles. Titles with no level word post a $135,900 median midpoint across 1,954 roles. Only 40 entry-level titles, like intern, junior, or graduate, post a US range, with a median midpoint of $59,700. Because only 40 entry-level titles post a US range, remote entry-level roles with posted pay are rare.
This data offers a crucial takeaway for mid-career professionals. Across all teams, staff, principal, and lead individual contributors post the exact same median midpoint as director, VP, head of, and chief executives. Mid-career professionals do not have to move into executive management to reach the $210,000 median tier.
Within engineering specifically, every seniority tier sits above the all-team average. Engineering director and above titles hit a $243,025 median midpoint across 46 roles. Staff, principal, and lead roles post a $226,188 median midpoint based on 311 roles. Engineering manager titles record a $220,160 median midpoint across 138 roles. Senior engineering roles feature a $196,600 median midpoint across 399 roles. Engineering titles with no level word post a $164,000 median midpoint across 379 roles. In engineering, staff, principal, and lead roles post a slightly higher median midpoint than engineering manager roles, and offer more than twice as many open roles. Even an engineering role with no level word in the title posts a $164,000 median midpoint, nearly matching the overall median midpoint across all 5,759 remote roles, which sits at $167,500, and topping the all-team manager median of $157,500.
Companies posting the highest ranges
Looking at the full list of remote-first companies posting at least 15 clean US ranges, several employers stand out at the very top of the market. These are medians of posted ranges on each company's own board on October 30, 2026, and they change daily.
Reddit posts the highest median midpoint among qualifying companies at $260,050 across 105 roles. Runway follows closely with a $248,750 median midpoint based on 44 roles. Render posts a $242,000 median midpoint across 33 roles. Teleport features a $233,520 median midpoint for its 17 roles. Cresta records a $232,500 median midpoint across 32 roles. Horizon3 AI posts a $229,875 median midpoint based on 93 roles.
Volume of high-pay remote roles
The total volume of open remote roles with high posted pay remains highly competitive. Out of the 5,759 open remote roles posting a clean US annual range on October 30, 2026, there are 4,112 roles with posted ranges that top out at $150,000 or more.
Moving further up the compensation tiers, 2,592 roles have posted ranges that top out at $200,000 or more. At the absolute top of the market, 550 roles have posted ranges that top out at $300,000 or more. Separately, 3,389 of these 5,759 open remote roles also mention equity in the posting. These numbers confirm that professionals searching for high posted pay have significant options across multiple departments and seniority levels without returning to a physical office.
FAQ
What are the highest paying remote jobs in 2026?
Engineering leads by team with a $200,000 median midpoint across 1,278 roles, followed by Product at $195,000, Data at $185,000, Design at $184,750, and Clinical at $178,000, which reaches a $375,000 90th percentile top of range. By seniority across all teams, director, VP, head of, and chief roles post a $210,000 median midpoint across 686 roles. Staff, principal, and lead roles match them, posting a $210,000 median midpoint across 691 roles. Engineering directors and above reach a $243,025 median midpoint.
Do remote entry-level jobs post pay?
Remote entry-level roles with posted pay are rare. Out of 5,759 open remote roles with a clean US range on October 30, 2026, only 40 entry-level titles, such as intern, junior, and graduate, post a US range. These 40 roles feature a median midpoint of $59,700.
How many remote jobs pay over $200,000?
In Still Remote's October 30, 2026 read of 5,759 open remote roles with clean US ranges, 2,592 roles have a posted range that tops out at $200,000 or more. This volume includes 550 roles that top out at $300,000 or more. Finding an open remote role with a posted pay range at this level is entirely possible across technical and leadership tracks.