Mid-level Interior Designer salary in San Francisco, CA

Based on 32 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Concord, Fremont, Livermore, Pleasanton, Burlingame.

Also listed as: Lighting Designer

Median salary$85,000
Middle 50%$79k–$90k
vs. all levels here+6%comparison median $80,000
Filings32FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $76,190 and $110,803.
PercentileSalary
10th$78,396
25th$79,040
50th (median)$85,000
75th$90,000
90th$96,475

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $70k $90k FY2020: median $62,000 (13 filings) FY2021: median $68,496 (10 filings) FY2022: median $68,498 (16 filings) FY2023: median $72,577 (14 filings) FY2024: median $75,595 (12 filings) FY2025: median $83,321 (12 filings) FY2026: median $85,000 (20 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 13 filings FY20 FY2021: 10 filings FY21 FY2022: 16 filings FY22 FY2023: 14 filings FY23 FY2024: 12 filings FY24 FY2025: 12 filings FY25 FY2026: 20 filings FY26 20
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$62,000$60,840$65,15013
FY2021$68,496$61,880$82,87510
FY2022$68,498$65,000$75,67216
FY2023$72,577$69,620$75,00014
FY2024$75,595$74,500$85,75012
FY2025$83,321$78,405$95,14412
FY2026$85,000$79,760$89,58020

Cost of living

San Francisco's median mid-level Interior Designer salary of $85,000 is worth about $73,500 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 $85,000, 3% lower.

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

EmployerMedianFilings
Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaumtoo few4
FDG Designgrouptoo few2
Nicole Hollistoo few2
Stantec Architecturetoo few2
WRNS Studiotoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
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 levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$62,733$70,49923
Mid-level · Level II$78,395$85,00032

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.