Expert Sales Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 90 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV 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 | $185,099 |
| 25th | $190,000 |
| 50th (median) | $192,800 |
| 75th | $208,000 |
| 90th | $234,674 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $140,000 | $137,530 | $165,000 | 76 |
| FY2021 | $164,400 | $150,654 | $181,387 | 56 |
| FY2022 | $173,930 | $168,438 | $191,500 | 66 |
| FY2023 | $180,000 | $173,930 | $200,000 | 51 |
| FY2024 | $191,048 | $182,187 | $199,340 | 40 |
| FY2025 | $191,386 | $191,048 | $208,000 | 45 |
| FY2026 | $194,000 | $185,099 | $205,000 | 45 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median expert Sales Engineer salary of $192,800 is worth about $166,800 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 $192,800, 27% 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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| $197,000 | 11 | |
| Snowflake | too few | 9 |
| ServiceNow | too few | 5 |
| Siemens | too few | 4 |
| Amazon | too few | 3 |
| Persona Identities | too few | 3 |
| Together Computer | too few | 3 |
| Oracle | too few | 2 |
| Cisco Systems | too few | 2 |
| DepthFirst AI | 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 | $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.