# Levels.fyi API: List top paying companies

> Lists the companies on the Levels.fyi leaderboard for a job role and location, ranked by median yearly total pay (all levels). The public leaderboard shows up to 50 companies per selection.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Levels.fyi.

- Page: https://fous.com/methods/levels.fyi/list-top-paying-companies
- Method: `levels.fyi/list_top_paying_companies`, version 1
- Website: levels.fyi
- Returns: role, location, currency, companies (rank, company, median total pay per year, company link)
- Effect: read (it gets data and changes nothing)
- Sign-in: none needed
- Cost: 1 credit per completed run (1¢ with pay as you go); failed runs are free
- Verified: Nov 2, 2026

## Inputs

| Field | Type | Required | In the run below | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| `role` | string | yes | `"software engineer"` | Job family in words, for example software engineer. |
| `location` | string | no |  | Country or leaderboard location, for example United States or Canada. Default "United States". |
| `max_results` | integer | no | `100` | Maximum companies to return, for example 25. The public leaderboard shows at most 50. Default 25. |

## Output

From a run on Oct 31, 2026, shortened. Its input:

```json
{
  "role": "software engineer",
  "max_results": 100
}
```

Its output:

```json
{
  "role": "Software Engineer",
  "currency": "USD",
  "location": "United States",
  "companies": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "company": "Cursor",
      "company_link": "https://www.levels.fyi/company/cursor/salaries/",
      "median_total_pay_per_year": 1000000
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "company": "Anthropic",
      "company_link": "https://www.levels.fyi/company/anthropic/salaries/",
      "median_total_pay_per_year": 882500
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "company": "OpenAI",
      "company_link": "https://www.levels.fyi/company/openai/salaries/",
      "median_total_pay_per_year": 880000
    }
  ]
}
```

## Run it

From code, with a Fous API key in `FOUS_API_KEY`; the answer's `data` holds the output:

```bash
curl https://api.fous.com/v1/runs \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FOUS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"levels.fyi/list_top_paying_companies","input":{"role":"software engineer","max_results":100}}'
```

From an AI agent connected to the Fous MCP server: its `run` with the same method and input. To connect one, give it `set up https://fous.com/SKILL.md`.

## Ask your agent

- Which companies pay software engineers the most in the United States? Give me the top 20 by median total compensation.
- Show me the Levels.fyi leaderboard of highest-paying companies for product managers in Canada, top 10.
- I'm a data scientist considering a move to the UK — rank the top 30 employers by median yearly total pay there.
- Pull the top 50 companies on levels.fyi for hardware engineer pay in the US, ranked by median total comp.
- What are the 15 best paying companies for product designers in Germany, with their median annual total compensation?

## Input schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "role"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "role": {
      "type": "string",
      "minLength": 1,
      "description": "Job family in words, for example software engineer."
    },
    "location": {
      "type": "string",
      "default": "United States",
      "description": "Country or leaderboard location, for example United States or Canada."
    },
    "max_results": {
      "type": "integer",
      "default": 25,
      "maximum": 100,
      "minimum": 1,
      "description": "Maximum companies to return, for example 25. The public leaderboard shows at most 50."
    }
  }
}
```

## Output schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "role",
    "location",
    "currency",
    "companies"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "role": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Selected job family."
    },
    "currency": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Three-letter currency code for the yearly pay amounts."
    },
    "location": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Selected country or location."
    },
    "companies": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "object",
        "required": [
          "rank",
          "company",
          "median_total_pay_per_year",
          "company_link"
        ],
        "properties": {
          "rank": {
            "type": "integer"
          },
          "company": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "company_link": {
            "type": "string"
          },
          "median_total_pay_per_year": {
            "type": "number"
          }
        },
        "additionalProperties": false
      }
    }
  },
  "additionalProperties": false
}
```

## See more

- [Levels.fyi API: Compare company pay](https://fous.com/methods/levels.fyi/compare-company-pay.md): Compares Levels.fyi's published median yearly pay (total, base, stock, bonus) for one role across 2 to 10 companies in a location, ranked by median total pay. Components are null where the site does not publish them; companies with no data come last with a note.
- [Levels.fyi API: Get company salaries by level](https://fous.com/methods/levels.fyi/get-company-salaries.md): Returns Levels.fyi's published 50th-percentile annual pay (total, base, stock, bonus) for each career level at a company and role, optionally in a location, in the location's currency.
- [Lever API: List company jobs](https://fous.com/methods/jobs.lever.co/list-company-jobs.md): Lists open jobs on a company's Lever job board, with optional team, location and workplace filters.
- [Remote OK API: Search remote jobs](https://fous.com/methods/remoteok.com/search-jobs.md): Searches Remote OK jobs by role or skill. Results can be filtered by listed region and by minimum annual USD salary.
- [PayScale API: Get company pay](https://fous.com/methods/payscale.com/get-company-pay.md): Shows an employer's average annual base salary and its common jobs, with salary ranges, from PayScale public research pages.
- [Chess.com API: List top players](https://fous.com/methods/chess.com/list-top-players.md): Lists up to 50 top Chess.com players for a time control, in rank order, with ratings, game records and profile links. Puzzles rankings use puzzle scores.
- [PayScale API: Get salary for a job title](https://fous.com/methods/payscale.com/get-salary.md): Gets typical pay for a job title from PayScale research pages. You can narrow it to a country and a city.
- [AmbitionBox API: Get company salaries](https://fous.com/methods/ambitionbox.com/get-company-salaries.md): Gets annual salaries by role at an Indian company from AmbitionBox, ordered by number of reports, plus annual averages by experience band when a job title is supplied.
- [All Levels.fyi methods](https://fous.com/methods/levels.fyi.md)