Interior Designer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 63 certified H-1B filings in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Concord, Fremont, Livermore, Pleasanton, Burlingame.
Also listed as: Lighting Designer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $65,000 |
| 25th | $74,849 |
| 50th (median) | $80,000 |
| 75th | $90,000 |
| 90th | $97,760 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $62,000 | $56,000 | $78,499 | 29 |
| FY2021 | $68,496 | $60,840 | $82,125 | 18 |
| FY2022 | $65,500 | $62,300 | $78,562 | 36 |
| FY2023 | $72,654 | $67,000 | $83,200 | 29 |
| FY2024 | $75,000 | $66,560 | $88,234 | 32 |
| FY2025 | $75,595 | $70,624 | $87,656 | 30 |
| FY2026 | $85,000 | $78,400 | $90,000 | 33 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median Interior Designer salary of $80,000 is worth about $69,200 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Interior Designers in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $87,460 in May 2025 (1,810 employed). The H-1B median here is $80,000, 9% 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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum | too few | 5 |
| STUDIOS Architecture | too few | 4 |
| MG West Company | too few | 3 |
| Stantec Architecture | too few | 3 |
| FDG Designgroup | too few | 2 |
| Nicole Hollis | too few | 2 |
| Projekt | too few | 2 |
| Ronbow | too few | 2 |
| WRNS Studio | 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 | $70,499 | 23 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $85,000 | 32 |
| Senior · Level III | – | 0 |
| Expert · Level IV | – | 0 |
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 | $62,733 | $70,499 | 23 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $78,395 | $85,000 | 32 |
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.