Sales Engineers pay range in San Francisco
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $86,660 a year or less, while the top 10% make $216,540 or more. The middle half of sales engineers in San Francisco earn between $113,480 and $182,420.
- $87K10th
- $113K25th
- $152KMedian
- $182K75th
- $217K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $154,650 | $12,888 | $74.35 |
| Median | $151,610 | $12,634 | $72.89 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $113,480 | $9,457 | $54.56 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $182,420 | $15,202 | $87.70 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Sales Engineers salary after taxes in San Francisco
On the average salary of $154,650, a single filer in San Francisco takes home about $106,679 a year, or $8,890 a month and $4,103 every two weeks. Taxes take 31% 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 sales 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 $154,650 buys what about $133,765 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.0 times the median wage of all jobs in San Francisco ($74,260). A typical home costs $1,149,215, or 7.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Sales Engineers salary in other California cities
San Francisco ranks 3rd of 12 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($180,170).
- San Jose$180,170
- San Luis Obispo$172,040
- San Francisco$154,650
- Santa Maria$146,280
- Sacramento$140,470
- Bakersfield$133,280
- Oxnard$127,420
- San Diego$127,090
- Los Angeles$125,150
- Santa Rosa$121,840
Highest-paying cities for sales engineers
Durham, NC pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($183,510).
- Durham, NC$183,510
- San Jose, CA$180,170
- Ocala, FL$176,450
- San Luis Obispo, CA$172,040
- Sarasota, FL$167,860
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Sales Engineers salary in San Francisco: questions
How much do sales engineers make an hour in San Francisco?
$74.35 an hour on average, and $72.89 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level sales engineers salary in San Francisco?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $86,660 a year and the 25th percentile is $113,480, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the sales engineers take-home pay in San Francisco?
About $106,679 a year ($8,890 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $154,650. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do sales engineers earn more in San Francisco than elsewhere?
The average here is 16% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($133,516).
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 41-9031; area San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (41860). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.1%.
- 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 1.18, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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