Actuary.
San Francisco.
$168,000
median salary, 33% above the national average
$122,000 to $221,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
An Actuary in San Francisco earns a median of $168,000 in 2026. That is 33% above the national average. The range runs from $122,000 to $221,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Exam progress is the single most predictive salary factor for actuaries. 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 Actuary 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 $175,330 for Actuaries (SOC 15-2011) in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, based on 220 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$93,870
25th percentile
$122,420
Median
$175,330
75th percentile
$214,260
90th percentile
$232,220
Workers surveyed
220
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Actuaries (SOC 15-2011) rather than Actuary specifically. The San Francisco range 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 15-2011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $151,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$109,000
to $134,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$143,000
to $176,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$185,000
to $218,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$210,000
to $260,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $47,000 to the total package.
Base
$168,000
Equity
$27,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $215,000
How San Francisco compares.
San Francisco, CA
$168,000
Cost of living: 35% above average
National Average
$126,000
San Francisco is $42,000 above
Actuary salary by city.
Salary by role in San Francisco.
What you should know.
Here is what the Actuary 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. Exam progress is the single most predictive salary factor for actuaries. Each passed SOA or CAS exam adds approximately $5,000 to $15,000 in base salary. Fully credentialed fellows earn 40 to 60% more than entry-level associates. Consulting actuaries typically earn more than insurance company actuaries at equivalent experience levels.
Entry-level actuarial analysts with zero to two exams earn $65,000 to $85,000. Associates (ASA) earn $90,000 to $120,000. Fellows (FSA/FCAS) reach $130,000 to $180,000. Chief actuaries and actuarial directors earn $175,000 to $280,000. Consulting principals can exceed $350,000. 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. Exam bonuses of $2,000 to $5,000 per passed exam are standard, plus paid study time (typically 100 to 200 hours). Annual bonuses of 10 to 20% are common. Consulting firms offer higher variable pay. Many employers cover exam fees, study materials, and raise base salary with each credential milestone. 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 $168,000, 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 Actuarys in San Francisco runs from $122,000 to $221,000. 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?
- An Air Traffic Controller in San Francisco earns $169,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in San Francisco is CTO at $401,000
Common questions.
Actuary salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Francisco.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Actuarys in San Francisco.
Related tools.
Do you work as an actuary 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.
"Actuary Salary in San Francisco, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/actuary/san-francisco
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools