Startup Hiring Statistics Q3 2026
Hiring volume, remote work, the fastest-growing roles, AI hiring, salaries, and where startups hire, from 5,353,648 job postings on Startup Jobs. You are welcome to cite any of it with attribution.
The Q3 2026 edition, published October 31, 2026, covers the 12 months to September 30, 2026. Its figures won't change. See the latest startup hiring statistics.
- Live job openings
- 274,365
- As of October 2026
- Postings year over year
- -9.7%
- At 2,726 established startups
- Fully remote
- 16.9%
- Of postings in Q3 2026
- AI and machine learning
- 1.6%
- Of postings at established startups
Startup job openings
Job postings at established startups are down 9.7% year over year.
The 2,726 startups we have tracked for over two years posted 332,043 jobs in the last 12 months, compared with 367,541 in the 12 months before. There are 274,365 live startup job openings on Startup Jobs as of October 2026.
New job postings per month at established startups
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| Month | Postings |
|---|---|
| October 2024 | 31,910 |
| November 2024 | 27,384 |
| December 2024 | 23,226 |
| January 2025 | 35,782 |
| February 2025 | 32,996 |
| March 2025 | 31,424 |
| April 2025 | 31,211 |
| May 2025 | 31,971 |
| June 2025 | 28,359 |
| July 2025 | 31,246 |
| August 2025 | 30,013 |
| September 2025 | 32,019 |
| October 2025 | 33,627 |
| November 2025 | 25,622 |
| December 2025 | 24,823 |
| January 2026 | 30,170 |
| February 2026 | 28,630 |
| March 2026 | 28,858 |
| April 2026 | 25,533 |
| May 2026 | 24,027 |
| June 2026 | 26,442 |
| July 2026 | 27,288 |
| August 2026 | 26,797 |
| September 2026 | 30,226 |
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<iframe src="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3/embed/monthly-postings" title="New job postings per month at established startups" width="100%" height="530" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:14px">Source: <a href="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3">Startup Jobs</a></p>
Remote work
In Q3 2026, 16.9% of startup job postings were fully remote and 27.9% hybrid.
Before the pandemic, in Q4 2019, 6.6% were remote. Remote work peaked at 37.9% in Q2 2022.
Remote and hybrid share of startup job postings
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| Quarter | Remote | Hybrid | Postings classified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2016 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 768 |
| Q2 2016 | 4.1% | 2.6% | 831 |
| Q3 2016 | 3.0% | 1.7% | 862 |
| Q4 2016 | 1.4% | 3.2% | 844 |
| Q1 2017 | 2.9% | 2.5% | 833 |
| Q2 2017 | 3.1% | 4.0% | 852 |
| Q3 2017 | 4.4% | 3.7% | 827 |
| Q4 2017 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 822 |
| Q1 2018 | 3.5% | 4.0% | 804 |
| Q2 2018 | 3.6% | 4.1% | 833 |
| Q3 2018 | 3.8% | 6.2% | 820 |
| Q4 2018 | 5.4% | 4.9% | 800 |
| Q1 2019 | 5.8% | 5.9% | 778 |
| Q2 2019 | 6.8% | 4.2% | 782 |
| Q3 2019 | 7.2% | 5.4% | 722 |
| Q4 2019 | 6.6% | 5.9% | 748 |
| Q1 2020 | 7.0% | 6.6% | 782 |
| Q2 2020 | 16.2% | 9.5% | 777 |
| Q3 2020 | 16.6% | 11.2% | 827 |
| Q4 2020 | 20.0% | 11.9% | 842 |
| Q1 2021 | 23.6% | 14.5% | 861 |
| Q2 2021 | 29.6% | 12.7% | 830 |
| Q3 2021 | 32.9% | 15.3% | 770 |
| Q4 2021 | 36.4% | 14.0% | 810 |
| Q1 2022 | 37.7% | 17.7% | 817 |
| Q2 2022 | 37.9% | 21.2% | 868 |
| Q3 2022 | 35.0% | 21.6% | 811 |
| Q4 2022 | 34.7% | 21.6% | 832 |
| Q1 2023 | 29.7% | 21.5% | 828 |
| Q2 2023 | 26.9% | 23.4% | 898 |
| Q3 2023 | 25.8% | 24.2% | 875 |
| Q4 2023 | 22.9% | 24.5% | 902 |
| Q1 2024 | 18.3% | 24.3% | 873 |
| Q2 2024 | 26.0% | 29.9% | 766 |
| Q3 2024 | 21.6% | 33.8% | 863 |
| Q4 2024 | 21.9% | 30.3% | 860 |
| Q1 2025 | 25.1% | 32.1% | 896 |
| Q2 2025 | 22.6% | 28.4% | 900 |
| Q3 2025 | 24.5% | 31.7% | 876 |
| Q4 2025 | 26.8% | 31.4% | 847 |
| Q1 2026 | 21.8% | 32.2% | 900 |
| Q2 2026 | 21.9% | 30.1% | 904 |
| Q3 2026 | 16.9% | 27.9% | 919 |
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<iframe src="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3/embed/remote-share" title="Remote and hybrid share of startup job postings" width="100%" height="530" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:14px">Source: <a href="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3">Startup Jobs</a></p>
Browse all remote startup jobs.
Fastest-growing roles
Forward Deployed Engineer is the fastest-growing startup role, with 140 established startups hiring for it in the last 12 months.
That is up 218.2% from 44 startups in the prior 12 months.
Biggest increases
| Role | Startups hiring, prior 12 months | Startups hiring, last 12 months | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward Deployed Engineer | 44 | 140 | +218.2% |
| Creative Designer | 27 | 42 | +55.6% |
| Video Producer | 28 | 42 | +50.0% |
| HRIS Analyst | 25 | 37 | +48.0% |
| Growth Specialist | 26 | 38 | +46.2% |
| Strategic Partnerships Manager | 29 | 42 | +44.8% |
| Growth Lead | 38 | 55 | +44.7% |
| AI Engineer | 248 | 355 | +43.1% |
Biggest declines
| Role | Startups hiring, prior 12 months | Startups hiring, last 12 months | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHP Developer | 27 | 7 | -74.1% |
| Content Editor | 30 | 13 | -56.7% |
| Graphics Designer | 25 | 11 | -56.0% |
| Senior Copywriter | 51 | 23 | -54.9% |
| Front-end Developer | 51 | 24 | -52.9% |
AI and machine learning hiring
1.6% of job postings at established startups are for AI and machine learning roles, up from 1.5% a year earlier.
AI and machine learning postings cover AI engineering, machine learning, data science, computer vision, and prompt engineering roles in our role taxonomy.
Startup salaries
Engineering Manager is the best-paid role at US startups, with a median salary of $227,500 a year.
At startups that posted salaries for the same role in both years, the median rose for 12 of 12 roles; Software Engineer pay went from $181,125 to $189,750 (+4.8%).
US startup salaries by role, last 12 months
| Role | P5 to P95 | P5 | Median | P95 | Change | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Manager | $157,500 | $227,500 | $350,400 | +5.4% | 2,813 | |
| Product Manager | $120,000 | $190,500 | $286,533 | +6.3% | 8,877 | |
| Software Engineer | $124,513 | $190,000 | $292,200 | +4.8% | 22,401 | |
| Finance/Accounting | $85,500 | $160,000 | $270,000 | +6.8% | 4,912 | |
| Account Executive | $70,000 | $150,000 | $325,000 | +0.5% | 11,566 | |
| Marketing Manager | $90,000 | $142,800 | $215,098 | +3.6% | 4,262 | |
| Account Manager | $70,000 | $135,200 | $375,000 | +3.8% | 7,344 | |
| H.R. | $67,982 | $135,000 | $243,562 | +1.9% | 2,800 | |
| Operations Manager | $67,500 | $131,000 | $201,000 | +2.0% | 2,769 | |
| Project Manager | $75,000 | $125,000 | $204,200 | +4.1% | 2,578 | |
| Business Development | $55,000 | $108,000 | $250,000 | +2.6% | 3,113 | |
| Customer Service | $50,000 | $95,000 | $208,866 | +3.5% | 3,857 |
P5 and P95 are the 5th and 95th percentiles: 90% of postings pay between them. The change compares the median a year earlier at the same startups. Explore detailed startup salaries by role, country, and company.
Among the 10 cities with the most Software Engineer salary data, the median ranges from $113,318 in Toronto to $225,000 in Santa Clara.
San Francisco pays a median of $215,000.
Software Engineer median salary by city, last 12 months
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| City | Median | P5 | P95 | Compared with San Francisco | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara, United States | $225,000 | $142,250 | $330,150 | 105% | 470 |
| San Francisco, United States | $215,000 | $149,000 | $337,500 | 100% | 3,134 |
| Mountain View, United States | $207,500 | $156,900 | $280,500 | 97% | 529 |
| San Jose, United States | $206,538 | $142,500 | $280,569 | 96% | 465 |
| New York, United States | $205,000 | $137,500 | $315,000 | 95% | 2,409 |
| Sunnyvale, United States | $201,300 | $150,000 | $273,000 | 94% | 385 |
| Seattle, United States | $200,000 | $131,941 | $352,500 | 93% | 790 |
| Los Angeles, United States | $198,500 | $135,000 | $300,000 | 92% | 421 |
| Boston, United States | $174,000 | $122,550 | $256,000 | 81% | 618 |
| Toronto, Canada | $113,318 | $77,256 | $200,000 | 53% | 614 |
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<iframe src="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3/embed/city-salaries" title="Software Engineer median salary by city, last 12 months" width="100%" height="570" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:14px">Source: <a href="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3">Startup Jobs</a></p>
Where startups are hiring
The United States leads startup hiring with 522,813 job postings in the last 12 months.
San Francisco is the top hiring city, with 34,129 postings.
Top countries
| Country | Postings |
|---|---|
| United States | 522,813 |
| United Kingdom | 61,106 |
| India | 53,913 |
| Germany | 49,317 |
| Canada | 40,959 |
| Brazil | 21,477 |
| France | 19,980 |
| Australia | 15,518 |
| Spain | 14,741 |
| Netherlands | 12,392 |
Top cities
| City | Postings |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, United States | 34,129 |
| London, United Kingdom | 32,600 |
| Bengaluru, India | 21,735 |
| Berlin, Germany | 13,845 |
| Austin, United States | 12,789 |
| Toronto, Canada | 11,124 |
| Chicago, United States | 10,738 |
| Boston, United States | 10,085 |
| Los Angeles, United States | 9,636 |
| Paris, France | 8,337 |
Hiring seasonality
February is the busiest month for startup hiring, with 9.3% of a year's new job postings.
December is the slowest with 6.4%, based on 3,058 startups we tracked through all of 2023–2025. An even spread would be 8.3% per month.
Share of a year's startup job postings by month
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| Month | Share of the year's postings |
|---|---|
| January | 9.1% |
| February | 9.3% |
| March | 9.3% |
| April | 8.6% |
| May | 8.8% |
| June | 8.1% |
| July | 8.4% |
| August | 8.4% |
| September | 8.0% |
| October | 8.5% |
| November | 7.1% |
| December | 6.4% |
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<iframe src="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3/embed/seasonality" title="Share of a year's startup job postings by month" width="100%" height="490" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="font-size:14px">Source: <a href="https://api.startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3">Startup Jobs</a></p>
Methodology
- Every figure comes from job postings on startup.jobs, as of October 31, 2026. Employers our vetting rejected or couldn't confirm as startups are left out.
- Year-over-year figures compare the last 12 full months with the 12 before, at established startups only.
- Roles are ranked by how many startups hired for them, not by posting counts.
- Salaries are posted yearly salary ranges. The role table is US only.
- Remote shares come from an AI review of 1,000 random postings per quarter.
Read the full methodologyHide the full methodology
All statistics on this page are computed from real job postings published on startup.jobs, sourced from startups' career pages and jobs posted directly by employers. Jobs from employers our vetting rejected or couldn't confirm as startups, such as hospital systems and staffing agencies, are excluded.
We keep adding startups, so total posting counts grow even when hiring doesn't. Every year-over-year comparison on this page (the monthly chart, growth figures, and AI share) therefore uses established startups only: companies we were already tracking before the earlier 12-month period began and that posted jobs in both periods. Roles are ranked by how many startups hired for them, so one large employer can't swing a role, and only roles at least 25 startups hired for in the earlier period are ranked.
Salaries use the midpoint of each posting's yearly salary range. The role table covers US postings from the last 12 full months, so a changing mix of countries can't move the medians. Its change column compares the same startups: those that posted a salary for the role in both the last 12 months and the 12 before, for roles where at least 25 did. The city comparison converts salaries outside the US to USD, and counts New York postings without a city as New York City. Roles and cities need at least 100 postings with salaries to be shown.
Remote work shares come from a random sample of 1,000 job postings per quarter since 2016. Each posting is classified as on-site, hybrid or fully remote from its job description by the same AI model, so every quarter is measured the same way. Postings whose description doesn't say are left out, and each company counts for at most 10 postings per quarter so one large employer can't swing a quarter. With roughly a thousand postings per quarter, each share is accurate to within about three percentage points.
Role classifications, including the AI and machine learning grouping, are based on our role taxonomy applied to job titles. Seasonality is each month's share of its year's postings, averaged over the last three full years, counting only startups we tracked before those years began and that posted in each of them.
How to cite
You are welcome to cite any statistic or chart on this page in articles, research, and reports. Please attribute it with a link:
Source: Startup Jobs, startup.jobs/startup-hiring-statistics/2026-q3