San Francisco, CA Salary Guide (2024)
The median annual wage across all occupations in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is $73,960, spread over roughly 2,405,740 jobs. This guide breaks that down across 80 detailed occupations with released wage data, from home health and personal care aides down to the smallest job categories BLS can publish.
Salary by occupation in San Francisco, CA
Ranked by median annual wage. Every row links to a full page with the local pay distribution, the percentile breakdown, and how the metro compares with the rest of the country.
| Occupation | Hourly | Annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | $17.25 | $35,870 | 109,070 |
| Software Developers | $84.09 | $174,910 | 76,900 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | $19.46 | $40,470 | 47,330 |
| General and Operations Managers | $73.12 | $152,090 | 42,330 |
| Registered Nurses | $90.39 | $188,020 | 40,750 |
| Cashiers | $19.00 | $39,520 | 40,350 |
| Retail Salespersons | $20.43 | $42,490 | 37,380 |
| Office Clerks, General | $26.82 | $55,790 | 35,750 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $23.18 | $48,220 | 33,130 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $20.93 | $43,530 | 31,140 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | $17.96 | $37,360 | 30,450 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | $47.74 | $99,300 | 26,820 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | $48.29 | $100,440 | 26,700 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $106.64 | $221,810 | 26,640 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $50.84 | $105,750 | 26,600 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | $21.46 | $44,630 | 26,230 |
| Security Guards | $22.47 | $46,740 | 25,400 |
| Management Analysts | $61.60 | $128,120 | 24,790 |
| Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | $60.02 | $124,840 | 23,560 |
| Managers, All Other | $97.61 | $203,030 | 22,980 |
| Cooks, Restaurant | $21.75 | $45,230 | 22,290 |
| Customer Service Representatives | $27.12 | $56,400 | 21,690 |
| Project Management Specialists | $63.72 | $132,530 | 21,650 |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | $29.00 | $60,320 | 20,460 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $39.91 | $83,020 | 19,640 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $75.66 | $157,380 | 18,680 |
| Financial Managers | $101.79 | $211,730 | 18,380 |
| Human Resources Specialists | $48.37 | $100,600 | 18,080 |
| Sales Managers | $83.95 | $174,610 | 17,890 |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $31.00 | $64,480 | 17,670 |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | $22.90 | $47,630 | 17,140 |
| Light Truck Drivers | $23.70 | $49,300 | 17,080 |
| Lawyers | $103.41 | $215,090 | 16,940 |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $30.87 | $64,210 | 16,870 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $30.51 | $63,470 | 15,870 |
| Medical Assistants | $28.80 | $59,910 | 15,130 |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $25.16 | $52,330 | 14,950 |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $47.54 | $98,890 | 14,800 |
| Carpenters | $38.92 | $80,950 | 14,360 |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | $40.26 | $83,740 | 14,150 |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | $29.37 | $61,090 | 14,000 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | $23.89 | $49,700 | 13,730 |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | $21.96 | $45,670 | 13,510 |
| Marketing Managers | $102.17 | $212,520 | 12,820 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $19.07 | $39,660 | 12,470 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | $48.00 | $99,840 | 12,240 |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | $23.18 | $48,210 | 12,050 |
| Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants | $48.62 | $101,130 | 11,920 |
| Bartenders | $18.48 | $38,430 | 11,590 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | $27.48 | $57,160 | 11,450 |
Median pay across these occupations runs from $35,870 to $221,810 — a 6.2× spread between the lowest- and highest-paid detailed occupations in the metro. The all-occupation median of $73,960 sits nearer the bottom of that range, because the largest job categories in most metros are also among the lower-paid ones.
Frequently asked questions about San Francisco, CA pay
What is the median salary in San Francisco, CA?
Across all occupations, the median annual wage in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area is $73,960. Total employment covered by the survey is about 2,405,740 jobs.
Which jobs pay the most in San Francisco, CA?
The highest median wage in the metro belongs to home health and personal care aides at $35,870, followed by software developers ($174,910) and fast food and counter workers ($40,470).
How many occupations are covered for San Francisco, CA?
This guide covers 80 detailed occupations with released wage data for the metro area, out of the 800+ detailed occupations the OEWS survey tracks nationally. Occupations with too few workers locally to publish a reliable estimate are excluded by BLS.
Is this enough to live on in San Francisco, CA?
These are nominal wages — they are not adjusted for local housing, tax, or transport costs. A median that looks high in San Francisco, CA may buy less than a lower median in a cheaper metro. Use the all-occupation median of $73,960 as the local baseline and compare any specific job against that, not against the national number.
About these figures
Data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024. OEWS surveys employers, so it excludes self-employed workers and independent contractors, and it reports wages rather than total compensation. Occupations with too few workers locally to produce a reliable estimate are suppressed by BLS and therefore absent from this page.
Full detail in the methodology. Original data: bls.gov/oes.