Senior Data Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 126 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Menlo Park, Fremont, Foster City, San Mateo, San Ramon.
Also listed as: Database Architect, Data Architect
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $170,893 |
| 25th | $177,632 |
| 50th (median) | $188,916 |
| 75th | $209,578 |
| 90th | $236,043 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $138,630 | $108,000 | $143,750 | 10 |
| FY2021 | $137,500 | $125,455 | $152,173 | 12 |
| FY2022 | $161,491 | $154,840 | $171,000 | 71 |
| FY2023 | $181,369 | $170,000 | $195,000 | 62 |
| FY2024 | $182,928 | $171,930 | $190,561 | 58 |
| FY2025 | $189,247 | $176,408 | $204,000 | 74 |
| FY2026 | $187,908 | $177,632 | $228,019 | 52 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median senior Data Engineer salary of $188,916 is worth about $163,400 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Database Architects in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $175,860 in May 2025 (1,600 employed). The H-1B median here is $188,916, 7% higher.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.
Employers filing at this level
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Meta | $194,757 | 30 |
| Salesforce | $230,859 | 10 |
| Cognizant | too few | 9 |
| Tesla | too few | 4 |
| SoFi | too few | 3 |
| Stitch Fix | too few | 3 |
| Amazon | too few | 2 |
| Lucid Motors | too few | 2 |
| Discord | too few | 2 |
| Kyocera SLD Laser | 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 | $130,700 | 28 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $157,350 | 108 |
| Senior · Level III | $188,916 | 126 |
| Expert · Level IV | $219,010 | 162 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Minimum H-1B salary by level
| Wage level | Prevailing wage (most common) | Median offered salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $124,488 | $130,700 | 28 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $143,790 | $157,350 | 108 |
| Senior · Level III | $177,632 | $188,916 | 126 |
| Expert · Level IV | $204,214 | $219,010 | 162 |
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.