San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area · also Oakland, Fremont

Average Salary in San Francisco, CA

The average salary in San Francisco, California is $100,220 a year ($48.19 an hour) across all jobs, and the median is $74,260, according to BLS estimates for May 2025 covering the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area. That is 44% more than the U.S. average ($69,770) and 24% more than the California average ($80,690).

$100,220average salary
$74,260median salary
116cost of living (U.S. = 100)
2,373,920jobs in the metro
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Average salary by job family in San Francisco

Management$194,920
Legal$189,510
Computer and Mathematical$167,450
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical$154,080
Architecture and Engineering$140,180
Life, Physical, and Social Science$139,150
Business and Financial Operations$126,780
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media$115,250
Construction and Extraction$90,820
Educational Instruction and Library$90,440
Community and Social Service$83,260
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair$81,010
Protective Service$76,700
Sales and Related$75,010
Office and Administrative Support$68,550
Transportation and Material Moving$63,330
Production$63,180
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance$52,960
Personal Care and Service$51,530
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry$50,400
Food Preparation and Serving Related$47,660
Healthcare Support$45,330
BLS OEWS May 2025, all employers in the metro area.

Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco

Most common jobs in San Francisco and what they pay

JobJobsAverage salaryMedian
Home Health and Personal Care Aides119,120$38,810$35,950
Software Developers69,030$193,430$186,640
Fast Food and Counter Workers49,970$44,620$43,870
General and Operations Managers43,520$177,240$149,990
Registered Nurses41,750$176,900$186,610
Retail Salespersons39,460$47,290$43,850
Cashiers38,250$43,260$41,270
Office Clerks, General37,590$56,950$52,000
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand30,710$51,280$48,400
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel29,980$110,360$96,960
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Cost of living in San Francisco

Prices in the San Francisco area are 16% above the U.S. average, with a BEA price parity of 115.6 for 2024. The average local salary of $100,220 therefore buys what $86,686 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. A typical home is worth $1,149,215, 8.6 times the median household income of $133,780.

$1,149,215typical home value
$133,780median household income
115.6BEA price parity
4,653,593metro population

Take-home pay in San Francisco

Salary levelGrossAfter taxPer month
25th percentile wage$47,280$39,134$3,261
Median wage$74,260$58,203$4,850
Average wage$100,220$74,106$6,176
75th percentile wage$128,760$91,390$7,616

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.

Compare San Francisco with another city

Cost of living: San Francisco vs other cities

Salaries for every job in San Francisco

Management37 jobs
Legal6 jobs
Computer and Mathematical19 jobs
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical61 jobs
Architecture and Engineering32 jobs
Life, Physical, and Social Science40 jobs
Business and Financial Operations31 jobs
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media31 jobs
Construction and Extraction43 jobs
Educational Instruction and Library55 jobs
Community and Social Service17 jobs
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair40 jobs
Protective Service21 jobs
Sales and Related18 jobs
Office and Administrative Support48 jobs
Transportation and Material Moving35 jobs
Production76 jobs
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance10 jobs
Personal Care and Service28 jobs
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry7 jobs
Food Preparation and Serving Related16 jobs
Healthcare Support16 jobs

Jobs paid by the hour in San Francisco

For 4 jobs in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area BLS publishes an hourly wage only, because the work is rarely full-time all year (gigs, seasons, performances). An annual figure would overstate what most people earn, so we show the hourly rate.

JobAverage per hourMedian per hourJobs
Musicians and Singers$82.72$75.75970
Dancers$33.58$30.43400
Disc Jockeys, Except Radio$31.87$23.52n/a
Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other$31.54$23.74200

Average salary in nearby cities

Average salary in California

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Salary in San Francisco: questions

What is a good salary in San Francisco?

Half of all workers in the San Francisco metro earn less than $74,260 and the average is $100,220. Earning more than $128,760 puts you in the top quarter of local wages.

How much do you need to earn in San Francisco to match a $69,770 salary elsewhere?

About $80,663, because prices here are 16% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 115.6).

What are the highest-paying jobs in San Francisco?

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($339,750), General Internal Medicine Physicians ($337,770), Chief Executives ($320,210).

What is the average salary in Oakland?

Oakland is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, where the average salary is $100,220 a year and the median $74,260. BLS does not publish separate wage figures for Oakland, so these metro figures are the closest official guide.

What is the average salary in Fremont?

Fremont is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, where the average salary is $100,220 a year and the median $74,260. BLS does not publish separate wage figures for Fremont, so these metro figures are the closest official guide.

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