The San Francisco Bay Area pays the highest H1B wages in the US — a median of $168,000, driven by Google, Meta, Stripe, Databricks, and Airbnb filing predominantly at L3 and L4 wage levels. The region accounts for approximately 17% of all US H1B filings despite representing less than 2% of US land area.
Key fact: The San Francisco Bay Area accounts for approximately 17% of all US H1B filings despite being less than 2% of US land area — a concentration driven by the tech industry's geographic clustering in Silicon Valley.
| Role | Median |
|---|---|
| Software Engineer (L3) | $168,000 |
| Senior Software Engineer (L4) | $215,000 |
| ML / AI Engineer (L4) | $198,000 |
| Data Engineer (L3) | $158,000 |
| Staff Software Engineer (L5) | $265,000 |
| Product Manager (L4) | $188,000 |
Source: DOL LCA disclosures, FY2024.
| Employer | Median Wage |
|---|---|
| Google (Mountain View) | $178,000 |
| Meta (Menlo Park) | $188,000 |
| Salesforce (SF) | $165,000 |
| Airbnb (SF) | $168,000 |
| Stripe (SF) | $178,000 |
| Databricks (SF) | $185,000 |
Every H-1B employer in San Francisco must pay at or above the DOL prevailing wage for the role and wage level certified on the LCA. For software engineering occupations (SOC 15-1252) in the San Francisco–San Mateo–Redwood City wage area, the 2026 levels are approximately: Level I $128,000, Level II $148,000, Level III $168,000, and Level IV $198,000 — the highest prevailing wage floor of any US metro. An offer below the certified level is a compliance violation, which is why Bay Area H1B offers cluster tightly above these thresholds.
Wage level also affects your green card timeline: a Level III or IV LCA strengthens PERM prevailing wage determinations later. If your offer letter cites Level I in San Francisco for a mid-level role, negotiate — the wage level on your LCA is verifiable in public DOL disclosure data.