Senior Validation Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 109 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Fremont, Berkeley, San Mateo, Redwood City, Foster City.
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $165,437 |
| 25th | $166,566 |
| 50th (median) | $169,000 |
| 75th | $190,000 |
| 90th | $221,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $120,000 | $110,757 | $127,454 | 70 |
| FY2021 | $125,000 | $113,204 | $140,000 | 63 |
| FY2022 | $128,742 | $117,000 | $145,000 | 100 |
| FY2023 | $144,872 | $131,125 | $162,583 | 42 |
| FY2024 | $155,000 | $140,900 | $175,000 | 51 |
| FY2025 | $169,000 | $168,480 | $187,589 | 50 |
| FY2026 | $170,000 | $166,566 | $190,000 | 59 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median senior Validation Engineer salary of $169,000 is worth about $146,200 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Validation Engineers in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $159,800 in May 2025 (4,850 employed). The H-1B median here is $169,000, 6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | $131,448 | 11 |
| Zoox | too few | 7 |
| Bright Machines | too few | 5 |
| Dexterity | too few | 4 |
| Bear Robotics | too few | 3 |
| Lucid Motors | too few | 2 |
| Aditi Consulting | too few | 2 |
| AeroVect Technologies | too few | 2 |
| Anyware Robotics | too few | 2 |
| Chef Robotics | 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 | $100,194 | 67 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $140,000 | 165 |
| Senior · Level III | $169,000 | 109 |
| Expert · Level IV | $210,000 | 57 |
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 | $99,674 | $100,194 | 67 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $133,390 | $140,000 | 165 |
| Senior · Level III | $166,566 | $169,000 | 109 |
| Expert · Level IV | $199,763 | $210,000 | 57 |
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.