2025 San Francisco Tech Salary Guide

The San Francisco Tech Salary Guide from Motion Recruitment provides projected salaries for San Francisco tech professionals in 2025. This comprehensive guide contains salary information for more than 100 tech positions, as well as expert analysis on the changing tech landscape in San Francisco and the most recent industry advancements.

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IT Salaries and Tech Market Insights for San Francisco in 2025

Motion's 2025 IT Salary Guide for San Francisco offers guidance for those pursuing tech careers or looking to recruit tech talent. With tech unemployment rates lower than the national average, having the right info on the tech market is key.

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Map Out Your 2025 Strategy for the San Francisco Tech Hiring Market

with Expert Insights & Salary Data

San Francisco, the heart of the tech industry, has seen the most extreme fluctuations over the past five years. However, along with the rest of the nation, it has seen the IT market stabilize and return to steady growth.

 

In this current market, having info on the latest tech trends and salary data is vital for IT job seekers and hiring managers in San Fran. That's why Motion's San Francisco 2025 Guide explores the important topics in the tech job market and starting salary information for top tech roles in San Francisco.

 

Topics include how the national tech job postings now exceed 500,000 each month, the ongoing shortage of cybersecurity professionals has reached 4 million globally, and despite concerns about technology replacing jobs, the rise of AI is actually strengthening the tech workforce.

 

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30.6%

Above the national average

San Francisco tech salaries are 30.6% above the national average. Unsurprisingly, San Francisco is the city with the highest salaries in tech.

48%

AI is leading to job growth, not layoffs

San Francisco workers should find out how AI is impacting their career path. 48% of organizations say that they are adding personnel due to an increase in AI, as opposed to the 19% that are looking to downsize.

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Emerging Tech in San Francisco: AI and Beyond

In the San Francisco tech world, artificial intelligence continues to be a major topic of conversation, capturing the interest of innovators, investors, and businesses alike who are eager to explore its potential for transforming industries. However, significant investment and job growth are also being seen in emerging technologies like digital twins, which are garnering attention for their ability to create dynamic, real-time simulations of physical objects, systems, or processes. The global market for digital twins is projected to reach an impressive $75 billion by 2027.

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Q: What Advice Would You Give Tech Job Seekers and Hiring Managers in 2025?

From John Rosenbaum, Chief Information Officer at Motion Recruitment:

"Navigating the tech industry in 2025 will demand more than technical expertise; it will require adaptability, continuous learning, and the ability to navigate the evolving landscape of AI, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. With a growing shift toward skills-based hiring, job seekers must highlight their impact and practical abilities. Similarly, employers should prioritize proven outcomes and demonstrated expertise to make more strategic hiring decisions."

 

What will I find in Motion's IT Salary Guide?

What tech job data and trends are covered in the guide?
  • The state of tech employment in 2025, with the impact of layoffs, economic conditions, IT job creation and the tech talent shortage.

  • How the tech industry has finally stabilized after five years of peaks and valleys.

  • Emerging technology: the tech skills and sectors businesses are hiring for in 2025.

  • Tech hiring and workplace trends, including tech workers heading back to the office, the move to skills-based hiring, and the golden generation in tech.

  • Advice from market experts on what you can do to succeed in 2025.
What valuable insights into IT salary data can I discover?

You will find starting salaries for mid and senior level ranges for over 100 specific job titles across technology areas. There are also city-specific variances included, which you can use to measure the regional salary ranges per tech job.

 

You will see IT salaries for top roles from the most in demand technology areas: Software, Data & AI, Security, Infrastructure & DevOps, Mobile, Functional, Product & UX and Executive.

Previous Salary Guides

Tech Hiring Market
Mid-Year Update 2024

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Tech Salary Guide
North America 2024

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Tech Salary Guide
North America 2023

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good IT Salary in San Francisco?

In San Francisco, a "good" IT salary can vary significantly based on the specific role and experience level. Here are some indicative salary ranges for various IT positions: 
 
Cloud Architect:  

  • Mid-Level: $149,615 to $176,666 
  • Senior-Level: The document provided does not include specific ranges for senior-level, but expectations can be similar or higher than mid-level. 
     

Cloud Engineer: 

  • Mid-Level: $122,241 to $152,930 
  •  Senior-Level: $137,396 to $177,349 

DevOps Engineer 

  • Mid-Level: $122,761 to $153,809 
  • Senior-Level: $146,559 to $173,590 

 
Software Development roles such as Python Developer, Java Developer, etc., have a range that starts from approximately $100,645 for developers and can go up to $210,000 for roles like .Net Architect. 
 
Site Reliability Engineer: 

  • Mid-Level: $125,210 to $150,000 
  • Senior-Level: $145,400 to $175,500 

 
Technical Support Analyst: 

  • Mid-Level: $68,055 to $83,611 
  • Senior-Level: $85,240 to $91,320 

These figures reflect a considerable range of salaries within the IT sector, signifying that a "good" salary is also dependent on the role and the level of expertise required. 
 

What IT job has the highest salary in San Francisco?

The IT job with the highest salary in San Francisco is the Chief Security Officer, with a salary range of $229,000 to $380,979.

Have IT salaries increased in San Francisco in 2024?

The latest data states that tech salaries have increased in 2024, continuing a trend of gradual but continuous growth. 

What impacted IT job growth in San Francisco?

San Francisco IT job growth in 2024 was influenced by several key factors: 

  1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: AI and machine learning roles were among the highest priorities for many businesses looking to transform in the upcoming years. There was a significant focus on reskilling in AI and Big Data, driven by substantial investments and expected market revenue growth.

  2. Generative AI Technology: There's a marked growth in generative AI technologies, which impacted job growth through increased demand for tech professionals skilled in these areas. Companies were investing heavily in AI processors within data centers, leading to an estimated quadrupling of spending by 2025.

  3. Compensation and Talent Availability: High compensation for AI-focused roles was notable, with some roles offering significant salary boosts compared to non-AI roles. The availability of skilled candidates in AI, although challenging, improved year-over-year, which influenced job market dynamics. 

These trends highlight how technological advancements, particularly in AI, impacted the San Francisco IT job market in 2024.