Senior Data Scientist salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 907 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Menlo Park, Fremont, San Bruno, San Mateo, Foster City.
Also listed as: Machine Learning Scientist
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $160,000 |
| 25th | $164,846 |
| 50th (median) | $178,651 |
| 75th | $200,000 |
| 90th | $225,246 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $145,000 | $127,500 | $160,000 | 105 |
| FY2021 | $150,000 | $139,300 | $165,000 | 139 |
| FY2022 | $160,000 | $147,250 | $171,000 | 294 |
| FY2023 | $165,000 | $155,000 | $179,000 | 450 |
| FY2024 | $175,000 | $159,179 | $187,045 | 435 |
| FY2025 | $180,000 | $164,403 | $199,400 | 529 |
| FY2026 | $177,735 | $165,000 | $205,000 | 378 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median senior Data Scientist salary of $178,651 is worth about $154,500 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Data Scientists in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $170,110 in May 2025 (10,460 employed). The H-1B median here is $178,651, 5% 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 | $209,720 | 106 |
| $193,000 | 39 | |
| Walmart | $171,337 | 35 |
| Amazon | $184,000 | 26 |
| Uber | $180,100 | 24 |
| Tesla | $177,000 | 24 |
| $225,077 | 18 | |
| C3.ai | $170,000 | 17 |
| Roblox | $259,150 | 16 |
| Adobe | $166,400 | 15 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $115,000 | 513 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $150,000 | 1,174 |
| Senior · Level III | $178,651 | 907 |
| Expert · Level IV | $214,061 | 850 |
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 | $103,522 | $115,000 | 513 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $128,398 | $150,000 | 1,174 |
| Senior · Level III | $164,403 | $178,651 | 907 |
| Expert · Level IV | $194,834 | $214,061 | 850 |
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.