Senior Backend Developer salary in San Francisco, CA

Based on 58 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes San Mateo, South San Francisco, Fremont, Redwood City, Pleasanton.

Median salary$199,000

Middle 50%$187.6k–$214.6k

vs. all levels here+5%comparison median $190,000

Filings58FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

All levels here

$170k$180k$190k$200k$210k$220k$230k$240k

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $180,960 and $272,900.

Percentile	Salary
10th	$180,960
25th	$187,574
50th (median)	$199,000
75th	$214,628
90th	$230,000

Salary by year

Median salary

Filings per year

Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.

Show as table

Fiscal year	Median	P25	P75	Filings
FY2020	$150,000	$144,040	$160,000	39
FY2021	$160,000	$145,246	$170,000	37
FY2022	$158,032	$150,000	$173,037	54
FY2023	$183,136	$170,075	$200,000	40
FY2024	$196,000	$181,272	$205,000	25
FY2025	$190,000	$180,960	$205,500	31
FY2026	$200,000	$187,574	$221,000	27

Cost of living

San Francisco's median senior Backend Developer salary of $199,000 is worth about $172,100 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).

Employers filing at this level

Employer	Median	Filings
Character Technologies	too few	4
Infinitus Systems	too few	4
Doss	too few	3
Stripe	too few	3
Activision Blizzard Media	too few	2
EvenUp	too few	2
Freshworks	too few	2
Included Health	too few	2
LangChain	too few	2
LogRhythm, Inc. d/b/a Exabeam	too few	2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage level	Median	Filings
Entry-level · Level I	$135,700	33
Mid-level · Level II	$170,000	44
Senior · Level III	$199,000	58
Expert · Level IV	$225,000	49

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.