FDE Pulse tracks location data across all 134 active Forward Deployed Engineer postings. As of April 30, 2026, 39 of 134 postings (29%) are remote-eligible. The remaining 95 are on-site or hybrid with a specific required location.
Metro Distribution (Roles with Salary Data)
The table below covers 55 postings with both a disclosed location and salary. The 55 postings with no disclosed metro are excluded from salary analysis.
| Metro | Roles with Salary | Median Base | Avg Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 34 | $153K | $151K – $222K |
| Los Angeles | 5 | $143K | $146K – $225K |
| Chicago | 4 | $87K | $82K – $223K |
| San Francisco | 3 | $160K | $159K – $194K |
| Austin | 3 | $141K | $160K – $227K |
| Seattle | 3 | $171K | $166K – $236K |
| Washington DC | 3 | $149K | $131K – $219K |
Remote vs. On-Site
Based on 134 active postings:
- On-site / hybrid: 91 roles (68%) — median base $138K, avg range $140K to $225K
- Fully remote: 12 roles (9%) — median base $120K, avg range $120K to $158K
The 13% pay gap between remote and on-site FDE roles is consistent with broader tech market patterns. Most remote FDE roles also require periodic customer site visits (estimated 15 to 40% travel depending on the role), which partially offsets the location flexibility.
New York as the Primary FDE Hub
New York leads the known-location FDE market with 34 roles in the salary dataset. This concentration reflects both the density of financial services and enterprise software companies headquartered in or near New York and the customer-proximity requirements of FDE work. Companies with major New York enterprise customer bases need FDEs in the same city.
The New York median of $153K is higher than the overall market median of $135K but below the Seattle figure of $171K. However, Seattle's sample is small (3 postings), making it less reliable as a benchmark.
San Francisco vs. New York
San Francisco, historically the center of the US technology labor market, shows 3 FDE postings with salary data versus New York's 34. The San Francisco median ($160K) is above New York's ($153K) but the sample is too small to draw firm conclusions.
The lower San Francisco representation in this dataset does not necessarily reflect lower demand. San Francisco FDE roles may have a lower salary disclosure rate, or the companies with San Francisco FDE teams may be posting fewer total roles in the current cycle. Google Cloud (34 postings) lists roles in multiple cities including both markets.
International FDE Markets
Based on geo_focus signals from 134 job descriptions, 55 postings list no specific metro. Some of these are global roles without a fixed required location. FDE Pulse's geo_focus analysis shows that 56 roles in the salary dataset have insufficient location data to assign to a metro.
EMEA-focused FDE roles are growing based on market signals, with European enterprise customers increasingly buying AI and data platform products from US companies. FDEs with willingness to travel to Europe, or located in major European tech hubs, may find increasing demand for location-specific roles not yet reflected in this US-centric dataset.
How to Use Location Data in Your Job Search
If salary maximization is your primary goal, the Seattle and New York markets show the highest FDE medians in the current dataset. Seattle's premium likely reflects the tech-sector density (Amazon, Microsoft, and their ecosystem companies). New York's premium reflects financial services and the density of enterprise customers who need on-site FDE support.
If location flexibility is your priority, 29% of current postings are remote-eligible. The $120K remote median is still above the overall US software engineering median, making remote FDE roles competitive even with the discount versus on-site rates.
If you're targeting a specific city not in the metro breakdown above, filter the FDE job board by location. Austin (3 postings), Chicago (4 postings), and Los Angeles (5 postings) each have active roles in the current dataset at salary medians between $87K and $141K.
Methodology
Location data sourced from 134 active FDE job postings as of April 30, 2026. Remote classification uses the is_remote field from job posting metadata, not location string parsing. Metro grouping in the salary table uses the primary city in the posted location for postings with disclosed salary. Postings with ambiguous locations (e.g., "United States" or "Multiple Locations") are classified as Unknown. Salary data in the metro table covers base compensation only.