Sales Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 372 certified H-1B filings in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Fremont, San Mateo, Pleasanton, Menlo Park, Dublin.
Also listed as: Solutions Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $125,000 |
| 25th | $135,431 |
| 50th (median) | $161,470 |
| 75th | $188,695 |
| 90th | $201,868 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $132,000 | $109,850 | $144,775 | 236 |
| FY2021 | $145,000 | $120,000 | $158,686 | 183 |
| FY2022 | $151,000 | $125,000 | $171,276 | 213 |
| FY2023 | $152,922 | $128,005 | $173,930 | 166 |
| FY2024 | $160,000 | $133,018 | $185,410 | 156 |
| FY2025 | $161,470 | $132,000 | $191,048 | 191 |
| FY2026 | $160,000 | $146,000 | $185,100 | 181 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median Sales Engineer salary of $161,470 is worth about $139,700 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Sales Engineers in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $151,610 in May 2025 (930 employed). The H-1B median here is $161,470, 7% 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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| $170,000 | 47 | |
| Snowflake | $161,470 | 23 |
| Siemens | $165,994 | 16 |
| Cisco Systems | $155,522 | 16 |
| ServiceNow | $161,470 | 15 |
| Salesforce | $194,809 | 12 |
| Databricks | too few | 7 |
| Amazon | too few | 6 |
| Okta | too few | 6 |
| Persona Identities | too few | 6 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $115,000 | 41 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $138,618 | 100 |
| Senior · Level III | $163,172 | 112 |
| Expert · Level IV | $192,800 | 90 |
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 | $102,294 | $115,000 | 41 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $125,923 | $138,618 | 100 |
| Senior · Level III | $155,522 | $163,172 | 112 |
| Expert · Level IV | $185,099 | $192,800 | 90 |
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.