Systems Engineer / Architect salary in San Francisco, CA

Based on 3,575 certified H-1B filings in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Fremont, Menlo Park, Pleasanton, Foster City, Oakland.

Median salary$155,405
Middle 50%$131.1k–$187.7k
vs. national median+35%comparison median $114,795
Filings3,575FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $71,510 and $298,276.
PercentileSalary
10th$105,600
25th$131,090
50th (median)$155,405
75th$187,726
90th$228,252

Salary by year

Median salary

$100k $140k $180k FY2020: median $120,370 (2,982 filings) FY2021: median $140,000 (3,134 filings) FY2022: median $142,810 (2,906 filings) FY2023: median $144,000 (2,066 filings) FY2024: median $154,788 (2,504 filings) FY2025: median $150,405 (2,131 filings) FY2026: median $165,000 (1,444 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 2,982 filings FY20 FY2021: 3,134 filings FY21 FY2022: 2,906 filings FY22 FY2023: 2,066 filings FY23 FY2024: 2,504 filings FY24 FY2025: 2,131 filings FY25 FY2026: 1,444 filings FY26 3,134
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 yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$120,370$95,555$145,2052,982
FY2021$140,000$109,554$164,3993,134
FY2022$142,810$110,000$170,0002,906
FY2023$144,000$115,066$172,5362,066
FY2024$154,788$124,800$183,8122,504
FY2025$150,405$120,000$182,0002,131
FY2026$165,000$139,443$200,0001,444

Cost of living

San Francisco's median Systems Engineer / Architect salary of $155,405 is worth about $134,400 at national average prices.

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

Compared with all workers here

All Computer Systems Engineers/Architects in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $161,700 in May 2025 (16,930 employed). The H-1B median here is $155,405, 4% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Top employers filing

EmployerMedianFilings
Meta$219,000279
Cognizant$141,000269
Visa$173,638129
Databricks$140,100116
Infosys$114,795106
Salesforce$212,33893
Tata Consultancy Services$105,56075
Walmart$150,40556
HCLTech$156,03754
Amazon$194,51353

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $97,594 223
Mid-level · Level II $117,600 1,166
Senior · Level III $155,049 1,018
Expert · Level IV $200,000 1,053

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$71,510$97,594223
Mid-level · Level II$114,795$117,6001,166
Senior · Level III$150,405$155,0491,018
Expert · Level IV$185,994$200,0001,053

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.