Editors pay range in San Francisco
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $61,480 a year or less, while the top 10% make $173,990 or more. The middle half of editors in San Francisco earn between $78,700 and $132,770.
- $61K10th
- $79K25th
- $103KMedian
- $133K75th
- $174K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $114,540 | $9,545 | $55.07 |
| Median | $102,940 | $8,578 | $49.49 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $78,700 | $6,558 | $37.84 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $132,770 | $11,064 | $63.83 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Editors salary after taxes in San Francisco
On the average salary of $114,540, a single filer in San Francisco takes home about $82,849 a year, or $6,904 a month and $3,186 every two weeks. Taxes take 28% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Francisco a good place for editors? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Francisco area are 16% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 115.6), so the average $114,540 buys what about $99,072 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.4 times the median wage of all jobs in San Francisco ($74,260). A typical home costs $1,149,215, or 10.0 years of this average salary before tax.
Editors salary in other California cities
San Francisco ranks 3rd of 15 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($120,530).
- San Jose$120,530
- Los Angeles$119,300
- San Francisco$114,540
- Santa Rosa$95,580
- Sacramento$88,410
- Oxnard$86,840
- San Diego$84,000
- San Luis Obispo$82,570
- Fresno$78,580
- Santa Maria$77,750
Highest-paying cities for editors
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($120,530).
- San Jose, CA$120,530
- Los Angeles, CA$119,300
- New York, NY$119,160
- San Francisco, CA$114,540
- Waterbury, CT$110,240
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Editors salary in San Francisco: questions
How much do editors make an hour in San Francisco?
$55.07 an hour on average, and $49.49 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level editors salary in San Francisco?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $61,480 a year and the 25th percentile is $78,700, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the editors take-home pay in San Francisco?
About $82,849 a year ($6,904 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $114,540. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do editors earn more in San Francisco than elsewhere?
The average here is 21% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($94,300).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 27-3041; area San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (41860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.0%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.46, this job is 1.5 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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