Materials Engineers pay range in San Francisco
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $80,050 a year or less, while the top 10% make $189,230 or more. The middle half of materials engineers in San Francisco earn between $97,560 and $160,540.
- $80K10th
- $98K25th
- $129KMedian
- $161K75th
- $189K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $133,770 | $11,148 | $64.31 |
| Median | $129,480 | $10,790 | $62.25 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $97,560 | $8,130 | $46.90 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $160,540 | $13,378 | $77.18 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Materials Engineers salary after taxes in San Francisco
On the average salary of $133,770, a single filer in San Francisco takes home about $94,349 a year, or $7,862 a month and $3,629 every two weeks. Taxes take 29% 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 materials engineers? 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 $133,770 buys what about $115,705 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.7 times the median wage of all jobs in San Francisco ($74,260). A typical home costs $1,149,215, or 8.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Materials Engineers salary in other California cities
San Francisco ranks 3rd of 8 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($156,740).
- San Jose$156,740
- Bakersfield$135,510
- San Francisco$133,770
- Los Angeles$127,780
- Sacramento$122,450
- Oxnard$120,320
- San Diego$117,680
- Riverside$104,740
Highest-paying cities for materials engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($156,740).
- San Jose, CA$156,740
- Seattle, WA$153,780
- Washington, DC$145,070
- Boulder, CO$143,470
- Houston, TX$138,820
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Materials Engineers salary in San Francisco: questions
How much do materials engineers make an hour in San Francisco?
$64.31 an hour on average, and $62.25 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level materials engineers salary in San Francisco?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $80,050 a year and the 25th percentile is $97,560, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the materials engineers take-home pay in San Francisco?
About $94,349 a year ($7,862 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $133,770. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do materials engineers earn more in San Francisco than elsewhere?
The average here is 9% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($122,532).
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 17-2131; area San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (41860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.4%.
- 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 0.99, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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