Software engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Software engineers in the San Francisco metro earn a median of $186,640 a year. That is 37.3% above the US median, and 18.7% above it once you account for higher prices in San Francisco.
Median salary
$186,640
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$163,500 – $219,670
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$161,440
San Francisco prices: 15.6% above US average
H-1B median offer
$195,000
7,966 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in San Francisco earn more than $273,400 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $128,090.
10th percentile $128,090, 25th $163,500, 75th $219,670, 90th $273,400.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $149,365, 25th $167,000, 75th $223,000, 90th $257,796.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in San Francisco
Prices in San Francisco are 15.6% above the US average, which makes the median worth $161,440 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 94.7% more than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in San Francisco
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the San Francisco metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 23,830 | $232,890 |
| Software engineers | 69,030 | $186,640 |
| Data scientists | 10,460 | $170,110 |
| Network architects | 3,350 | $166,760 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 6,630 | $163,810 |
| Information security analysts | 3,730 | $162,310 |
| Web developers | 1,420 | $152,450 |
| QA analysts and testers | 5,880 | $134,630 |
| Computer systems analysts | 11,180 | $134,460 |
| Computer programmers | 2,440 | $130,730 |
| Network and systems administrators | 3,910 | $129,680 |
| Database administrators | 1,470 | $127,760 |
| IT support specialists | 10,770 | $89,440 |
What H-1B employers offer in San Francisco
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 7,966 H-1B applications for software engineers in the San Francisco metro, from 1,544 employers.
Median offer
$195,000
Middle half
$167,000 – $223,000
Employers
1,544
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 1,096
- Level II: 2,065
- Level III: 1,429
- Level IV (most experienced): 1,939
- Not stated: 1,437
These are salaries offered on approved applications, not salaries paid. Each application lists only its main work site.
Job outlook
+15.8%
The BLS expects over 267,000 more software developer jobs across the US from 2024 to 2034. Jobs overall are expected to grow 3.1%.
6,644 open tech jobs in San Francisco right now
From over 900 companies. 370 were posted in the past week.
Jobs nearby: San Mateo, Foster City, Redwood City, Menlo Park, South San Francisco
Sources and notes
- Salaries and job counts: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published May 15, 2026), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont metro. The BLS counts software engineers as "Software Developers" (job code 15-1252).
- Cost of living: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- H-1B offers: US Department of Labor, H-1B application data, October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Approved H-1B applications with job code 15-1252 and a work site in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco or San Mateo county.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.