Data Analyst.
San Francisco.
$154,000
median salary, 36% above the national average
$113,000 to $213,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
San Francisco is 35% more expensive than the national average. For Data Analysts, that shakes out to a median of $154,000, with the full range spanning $113,000 to $213,000. SQL proficiency depth, visualization tool expertise (Tableau, Looker, or Power BI), and business domain knowledge are the primary drivers. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Data Analyst in San Francisco, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $170,110 for Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051) in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, based on 10,460 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$99,170
25th percentile
$130,430
Median
$170,110
75th percentile
$212,970
90th percentile
$272,430
Workers surveyed
10,460
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Data Scientists (SOC 15-2051) rather than Data Analyst specifically. The San Franciscorange at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-2051Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $139,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$100,000
to $123,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$131,000
to $162,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$169,000
to $200,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$193,000
to $239,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $33,000 to the total package.
Base
$154,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$12,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $187,000
Data Analyst salary by company.
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings (DOL).
How San Francisco compares.
San Francisco, CA
$154,000
Cost of living: 35% above average
National Average
$113,000
San Francisco is $41,000 above
Data Analyst salary by city.
Salary by role in San Francisco.
What you should know.
Here is what the Data Analyst market actually looks like in San Francisco. San Francisco is the epicenter of venture capital and startup innovation, consistently producing the highest tech salaries in the nation. The city's concentration of AI labs, SaaS companies, and fintech firms creates intense competition for talent. Despite remote work trends, SF still commands the steepest salary premiums for engineering and product roles. SQL proficiency depth, visualization tool expertise (Tableau, Looker, or Power BI), and business domain knowledge are the primary drivers. Analysts who can tell compelling stories with data and influence decision making earn more than those who only pull reports. Python or R skills for advanced analysis add a meaningful salary bump.
Junior data analysts start at $50,000 to $65,000, advancing to data analyst at $70,000 to $90,000 in one to two years. Senior analysts earn $90,000 to $120,000. Analytics managers reach $120,000 to $155,000, and directors of analytics can earn $160,000 to $200,000 at large organizations. In San Francisco, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 35% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Bonuses of 5 to 12% are typical in corporate settings. Equity is less common but available at tech companies, adding $5,000 to $25,000 annually. Benefits often include data tool licenses, training budgets, and conference attendance. Signing bonuses of $5,000 to $15,000 are offered at competitive firms. And on the tax side: california's top marginal state income tax rate is 13.3%, the highest in the U.S. San Francisco has no additional city income tax, but overall tax burden remains steep. When someone quotes you $154,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage competing offers aggressively. SF employers expect candidates to shop around, and matching or beating a rival offer is standard practice here. The range for Data Analysts in San Francisco runs from $113,000 to $213,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Reinforcement Learning Engineer in San Francisco earns $153,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in San Francisco is CTO at $401,000
Common questions.
Data Analyst salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Francisco.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Data Analysts in San Francisco.
Related tools.
Do you work as a data analyst in San Francisco?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools