Salary benchmark
Is $130,520 good for Financial Analyst in San Francisco, CA?
For a mapped Financial and Investment Analysts role in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area, a base salary near $130,520 sits around the official BLS OEWS median wage estimate. A stronger offer usually includes clear bonus terms, benefits, review timing, and limited restrictive language.
Role mapping note: Evaluate financial data, forecasts, investment opportunities, and risk.
| Percentile | Annual base benchmark |
|---|---|
| 10th | $82,570 |
| 25th | $97,490 |
| 50th | $130,520 |
| 75th | $166,350 |
| 90th | $217,160 |
How to use this benchmark
- Below $97,490
- Below the local 25th percentile for this mapped occupation. Confirm level, scope, and whether the employer can move base salary or add guaranteed sign-on.
- $97,490 to $130,520
- Between the 25th percentile and median. Check whether the role is entry, mid-level, or scoped below the public occupation mapping before deciding how hard to push.
- $130,520 to $166,350
- Between median and the 75th percentile. Base pay is more competitive, so negotiation may shift toward bonus clarity, equity terms, review timing, schedule, and benefits.
- Above $166,350
- Above the 75th percentile. Pressure-test total compensation quality and restrictive clauses instead of assuming the headline base salary tells the whole story.
Negotiation signals for this role
- The role owns forecasting, board materials, investment analysis, pricing, treasury, or business-unit decision support.
- The job requires advanced modeling, SQL or BI tooling, scenario planning, or executive-ready narrative work.
- The analyst is expected to influence budgets, hiring plans, capital allocation, or revenue operations.
Offer risks to check
- Bonus targets, payout formulas, or performance metrics are referenced without a written plan document.
- The hours profile is closer to deal, banking, or board-cycle work than a standard corporate finance role.
- The title is analyst but the work includes manager-level ownership of planning, systems, or stakeholder alignment.
What this public benchmark misses
- This page maps Financial Analyst to SOC 13-2051, Financial and Investment Analysts; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group.
- Public wage data cannot distinguish corporate FP&A, investment analysis, strategy finance, treasury, and deal-support roles.
- The benchmark does not price bonus volatility, carry, commissions, equity upside, or unusually heavy board-cycle deadlines.
- BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
Questions to ask the recruiter
- Which finance ladder and level is this offer calibrated to?
- What bonus target, payout history, and performance metrics apply?
- How often do forecast, board, or transaction cycles require late nights or weekends?
- What systems, data access, and stakeholder groups will I own?
San Francisco, CA and remote context
- Confirm whether the band is anchored to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, another Bay Area office, or a remote location policy.
- Equity, commute expectations, and relocation support can matter as much as base salary in the final decision.
- If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to San Francisco, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Source note: BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 13-2051 and BLS area code 0041860. OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not fully capture equity, signing bonus, severance, or every total-compensation detail.
FAQ
Is $130,520 a good salary for a Financial Analyst in San Francisco, CA?
$130,520 is near the BLS OEWS median base-wage estimate for the mapped Financial and Investment Analysts occupation in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area. Treat it as a base salary anchor, then evaluate bonus, equity, benefits, schedule, review timing, and restrictive terms before deciding whether the full offer is strong.
What should a Financial Analyst negotiate beyond base salary?
Start with level and scope. For this role, one useful signal is whether the role owns forecasting, board materials, investment analysis, pricing, treasury, or business-unit decision support. Also ask for written details on any variable pay, equity, review timing, and offer terms that could affect future mobility.
What does this benchmark miss for Financial Analyst offers?
This page maps Financial Analyst to SOC 13-2051, Financial and Investment Analysts; the actual offer may be narrower, broader, or leveled differently than that public occupation group. Public wage data cannot distinguish corporate FP&A, investment analysis, strategy finance, treasury, and deal-support roles. The benchmark does not price bonus volatility, carry, commissions, equity upside, or unusually heavy board-cycle deadlines. BLS OEWS wages are straight-time wage estimates and do not add private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
How should remote or hybrid offers tied to San Francisco, CA be checked?
Confirm whether the band is anchored to San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, another Bay Area office, or a remote location policy. Equity, commute expectations, and relocation support can matter as much as base salary in the final decision. If the role is remote or hybrid, ask whether pay is anchored to San Francisco, CA, a headquarters band, or your home market.
Which public data source is used on this page?
This page uses BLS OEWS May 2025, mapped to SOC 13-2051 (Financial and Investment Analysts) and BLS area code 0041860. It uses public OEWS wage estimates, not private salary submissions or employer-specific compensation data.
On an H-1B (or hoping for one)?
Since March 2026 the H-1B lottery weighs entries by OFLC wage level, so where this salary lands changes your selection odds. Request a free H-1B Offer Brief — estimated wage level, lottery entries, and a prevailing-wage sanity check for your offer.