Senior Industrial Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 319 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Fremont, Newark, Foster City, Hayward, Menlo Park.
Also listed as: Manufacturing Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $133,910 |
| 25th | $140,254 |
| 50th (median) | $146,125 |
| 75th | $157,816 |
| 90th | $178,100 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $125,000 | $116,314 | $137,375 | 90 |
| FY2021 | $125,000 | $117,150 | $140,000 | 106 |
| FY2022 | $125,820 | $117,710 | $141,096 | 151 |
| FY2023 | $135,000 | $125,000 | $145,875 | 130 |
| FY2024 | $143,222 | $133,910 | $150,500 | 113 |
| FY2025 | $143,733 | $135,000 | $150,000 | 204 |
| FY2026 | $152,400 | $144,306 | $168,668 | 115 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median senior Industrial Engineer salary of $146,125 is worth about $126,400 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Industrial Engineers in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $132,230 in May 2025 (5,470 employed). The H-1B median here is $146,125, 11% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla | $150,000 | 129 |
| Lucid Motors | $133,910 | 27 |
| Dako Resources | $149,354 | 16 |
| Zoox | $142,647 | 16 |
| Cisco Systems | too few | 8 |
| Amazon | too few | 7 |
| Meta | too few | 5 |
| Autodesk | too few | 4 |
| Western Digital Technologies | too few | 4 |
| Brooks Automation | too few | 3 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $98,494 | 168 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $127,511 | 341 |
| Senior · Level III | $146,125 | 319 |
| Expert · Level IV | $163,634 | 265 |
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 | $94,682 | $98,494 | 168 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $117,458 | $127,511 | 341 |
| Senior · Level III | $133,910 | $146,125 | 319 |
| Expert · Level IV | $163,030 | $163,634 | 265 |
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.