Expert Materials Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA

Based on 55 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Fremont, San Leandro, Menlo Park, Livermore, Berkeley.

Median salary$160,139
Middle 50%$158k–$160.1k
vs. all levels here+16%comparison median $138,258
Filings55FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $158,018 and $250,000.
PercentileSalary
10th$158,018
25th$158,018
50th (median)$160,139
75th$160,139
90th$180,856

Salary by year

Median salary

$110k $140k $170k FY2020: median $123,885 (38 filings) FY2021: median $122,283 (65 filings) FY2022: median $125,753 (51 filings) FY2023: median $131,310 (36 filings) FY2024: median $140,046 (45 filings) FY2025: median $158,018 (36 filings) FY2026: median $160,139 (19 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 38 filings FY20 FY2021: 65 filings FY21 FY2022: 51 filings FY22 FY2023: 36 filings FY23 FY2024: 45 filings FY24 FY2025: 36 filings FY25 FY2026: 19 filings FY26 65
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$123,885$123,885$123,88538
FY2021$122,283$119,912$135,94965
FY2022$125,753$122,283$145,18451
FY2023$131,310$131,310$147,57936
FY2024$140,046$140,046$158,00045
FY2025$158,018$158,018$160,13936
FY2026$160,139$160,139$174,39919

Cost of living

San Francisco's median expert Materials Engineer salary of $160,139 is worth about $138,500 at national average prices.

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

Compared with all workers here

All Materials Engineers in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $129,480 in May 2025 (340 employed). The H-1B median here is $160,139, 24% 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

EmployerMedianFilings
Lam Research$158,01838
Enphase Energytoo few2

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $96,498 18
Mid-level · Level II $118,419 44
Senior · Level III $138,258 111
Expert · Level IV $160,139 55

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$95,243$96,49818
Mid-level · Level II$116,355$118,41944
Senior · Level III$138,258$138,258111
Expert · Level IV$158,018$160,13955

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.