Average Salaries in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Explore salaries across 702 occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $89.2K, +44.9% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 702 occupations and 2,381,660 total jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA.
How the metro compares
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is one of the higher-paying metros in the country. Average wages here run meaningfully above the national level, though local cost of living often offsets some of that premium.
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Natural Sciences Managers. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Sciences Managers | $222.8K | 5,160 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $221.8K | 26,640 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $220.3K | 2,960 |
| Lawyers | $215.1K | 16,940 |
| Marketing Managers | $212.5K | 12,820 |
| Podiatrists | $211.8K | 100 |
| Financial Managers | $211.7K | 18,380 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $208.6K | 6,380 |
| Human Resources Managers | $206.4K | 5,890 |
| Dentists, General | $205.4K | 1,680 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 109,070 | $35.9K |
| Software Developers | 76,900 | $174.9K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 47,330 | $40.5K |
| General And Operations Managers | 42,330 | $152.1K |
| Registered Nurses | 40,750 | $188.0K |
| Cashiers | 40,350 | $39.5K |
| Retail Salespersons | 37,380 | $42.5K |
| Office Clerks, General | 35,750 | $55.8K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 33,130 | $48.2K |
| Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 31,140 | $43.5K |
What San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Media And Communication Workers, All Other | 7.72 | $99.4K |
| Special Effects Artists And Animators | 5.25 | $120.3K |
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 4.64 | $132.7K |
| Web And Digital Interface Designers | 4.56 | $161.0K |
| Dancers | 4.56 | N/A |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 4.31 | $172.9K |
| Parking Enforcement Workers | 3.95 | $85.1K |
| Biochemists And Biophysicists | 3.60 | $140.9K |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | 3.55 | $130.2K |
| Choreographers | 3.54 | $64.9K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $90.4K | Training And Development Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $76.5K | Natural Sciences Managers |
Common salary questions for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.