Aerospace Engineer.
San Francisco.
$186,000
median salary, 38% above the national average
$145,000 to $240,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Aerospace Engineer pay in San Francisco ranges from $145,000 to $240,000 in 2026. The median is $186,000, 38% above the national average. San Francisco is the epicenter of venture capital and startup innovation, consistently producing the highest tech salaries in the nation. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. 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 Aerospace Engineer 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 $191,260 for Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011) in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area, based on 510 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$117,060
25th percentile
$147,970
Median
$191,260
75th percentile
$206,930
90th percentile
$273,230
Workers surveyed
510
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011) rather than Aerospace Engineer 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 17-2011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $167,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$121,000
to $149,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$158,000
to $195,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$205,000
to $242,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$233,000
to $288,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $47,000 to the total package.
Base
$186,000
Equity
$26,000
Bonus
$17,000
Signing
$4,000
Estimated total: $233,000
How San Francisco compares.
San Francisco, CA
$186,000
Cost of living: 35% above average
National Average
$135,000
San Francisco is $51,000 above
Aerospace Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in San Francisco.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate an Aerospace Engineer offer in San Francisco, understand the terrain. 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. Security clearance level and employer type drive the widest variance. Defense contractors pay 10 to 20% premiums for TS/SCI clearances. Specialization in propulsion, avionics, or spacecraft systems commands higher compensation than structural analysis. The growing commercial space sector is pushing salaries upward across all levels.
Junior aerospace engineers start at $88,000 to $100,000. Senior engineers reach $115,000 to $152,000 after six to eight years. Principal engineers and engineering directors earn $155,000 to $210,000, with chief engineers at major programs exceeding $230,000. 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. Defense contractors offer 8 to 15% annual bonuses and retention bonuses of $10,000 to $30,000 for cleared engineers. Commercial space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin add equity packages. Many roles include relocation assistance and clearance processing support. 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 $186,000, 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 Aerospace Engineers in San Francisco runs from $145,000 to $240,000. 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
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Common questions.
Aerospace Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Francisco.
Related salary pages
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Aerospace Engineer Salary in San Francisco, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/aerospace-engineer/san-francisco
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