Law Clerk salary in San Francisco, CA

Based on 29 certified H-1B filings in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Pleasanton, Daly City, Emeryville, Menlo Park, Hayward.

Also listed as: Judicial Law Clerk

Median salary$94,598
Middle 50%$70.7k–$165k
vs. national median+35%comparison median $70,000
Filings29FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $68,191 and $233,100.
PercentileSalary
10th$68,640
25th$70,720
50th (median)$94,598
75th$165,000
90th$225,000

Salary by year

Median salary

$50k $80k $110k FY2020: median $62,400 (12 filings) FY2022: median $66,200 (10 filings) FY2023: median $97,500 (10 filings) FY2024: median $72,800 (11 filings) FY2025: median $76,960 (13 filings) FY2026: median $95,139 (16 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 12 filings FY20 FY2021: 9 filings FY21 FY2022: 10 filings FY22 FY2023: 10 filings FY23 FY2024: 11 filings FY24 FY2025: 13 filings FY25 FY2026: 16 filings FY26 16
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$62,400$58,531$141,25012
FY2021–––9
FY2022$66,200$59,100$79,50010
FY2023$97,500$71,833$212,31310
FY2024$72,800$70,433$74,91111
FY2025$76,960$70,720$121,00013
FY2026$95,139$82,969$168,75016

Cost of living

San Francisco's median Law Clerk salary of $94,598 is worth about $81,800 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Judicial Law Clerks in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $90,650 in May 2025 (240 employed). The H-1B median here is $94,598, 4% higher.

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

EmployerMedianFilings
Kern Segal & Murray, A Lawtoo few4
Newland Law Firm.P.C.too few3
Gibson, Dunn & Crutchertoo few2
Hung Changtoo few2
O'Melveny & Myerstoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $69,701 10
Mid-level · Level II – 0
Senior · Level III – 0
Expert · Level IV $143,000 10

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$68,016$69,70110
Expert · Level IV$94,598$143,00010

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.