What Bay Area tech talent costs and earns
Typical full-time salary ranges for the roles we fill most, with an estimated hourly equivalent for contract planning. Every number comes from a public source linked on this page.
Public data only
Figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Robert Half, Motion Recruitment, Levels.fyi and public job postings — nothing is made up or “adjusted” by us.
Bay Area focus
San Jose / Silicon Valley benchmarks first, with San Francisco figures where they help. Remote and out-of-area pay is often lower.
Hourly is an estimate
Hourly figures are simply the salary range divided by 2,080 work hours. Real contract rates vary — see how to read them below.
Salary ranges by role
Base salary only — before bonus, stock and benefits. Ranges cover new-to-role through highly experienced professionals unless noted.
| Role | Full-time base salary (annual) | Est. hourly equivalent (salary ÷ 2,080) | Benchmark used | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java backend engineer | $147,180 – $236,280 | $71 – $114/hr | Robert Half “Software Engineer”, San Jose (new-to-role → highly experienced). Robert Half [2] | Senior Java Developer, Silicon Valley: ~$160K–$204K (Motion Recruitment [3]) |
| Python / TypeScript engineer | $173,650 – $226,080 | $83 – $109/hr | BLS “Software Developers”, San Jose MSA, 25th–75th percentile. BLS OEWS May 2025 [1] | Same occupation, San Francisco MSA: $163,500–$219,670 (BLS [1]) |
| React / Next.js front-end engineer | $119,460 – $177,870 | $57 – $86/hr | Robert Half “Front-End Developer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | BLS “Web Developers”, San Jose MSA, 25th–75th: $122,680–$215,960 (BLS [1]) |
| Data engineer | $172,260 – $244,860 | $83 – $118/hr | Robert Half “Data Engineer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | Senior Data Engineer, Silicon Valley: ~$168K–$215K (Motion Recruitment [3]) |
| ML / AI engineer | $164,010 – $233,640 | $79 – $112/hr | Robert Half “ML Engineer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | BLS “Data Scientists”, San Jose MSA, 25th–75th: $149,570–$219,460 (BLS [1]) |
| GenAI / LLM engineer | $203,940 – $259,710 | $98 – $125/hr | Robert Half “AI Engineer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | ML/AI software engineers, SF Bay Area: $310,000 median total comp incl. stock (Levels.fyi [4]) |
| DevOps / cloud engineer | $157,740 – $233,970 | $76 – $112/hr | Robert Half “DevOps Engineer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | Senior Platform Engineer, Silicon Valley: ~$180K–$232K; Senior Cloud Architect, SF: ~$188.6K–$226.3K (Motion Recruitment [3]) |
| Salesforce developer | $144,870 – $205,920 | $70 – $99/hr | Robert Half “CRM Developer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | Mid-level Salesforce Developer, Silicon Valley: ~$115K–$148K (Motion Recruitment [3]) |
| Dell Boomi / integration architect | $178,200 – $252,780 | $86 – $122/hr | Robert Half “ERP/CRM Architect”, San Jose — closest public benchmark; Boomi-specific Bay Area data is thin. Robert Half [2] | Robert Half “ERP Integration Manager”, San Jose: $178,860–$261,690 (Robert Half [2]) |
| Scrum Master | $138,930 – $198,990 | $67 – $96/hr | Robert Half “Scrum Master”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | Robert Half mid-point for San Jose: $165,330 (Robert Half [2]) |
| Sr. Technical Program Manager | $138,600 – $197,340 | $67 – $95/hr | Robert Half “IT Project Manager”, San Jose — closest base-salary benchmark (TPM roles often pay more). Robert Half [2] | Technical Program Managers, SF Bay Area: $220K–$390K total comp (25th–75th, incl. stock), median $289K (Levels.fyi [4]) |
| Business Systems Analyst | $123,090 – $184,800 | $59 – $89/hr | Robert Half “IT Business Systems Analyst”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | BLS “Computer Systems Analysts”, San Jose MSA, 25th–75th: $121,340–$194,320 (BLS [1]) |
| QA / SDET (test automation) | $113,850 – $158,730 | $55 – $76/hr | Robert Half “QA Automation Engineer”, San Jose. Robert Half [2] | BLS “Software QA Analysts & Testers”, San Jose MSA, 25th–75th: $123,680–$184,230 (BLS [1]) |
| PIM / product information (senior architect) | $152,118 – $202,730 | $73 – $97/hr | Single public job posting: Perficient “PIM/PXM Senior Solutions Architect” (U.S.-wide range, listed on Built In SF) — limited data. Built In SF [5] | Salesforce “PIM Specialist Solution Engineer” posting, California range: $173,460–$231,980 (Built In SF [5]) |
Scroll sideways on small screens. Superscript numbers link to the full source list below. K = thousand; ranges from source pages that publish exact dollars are shown exactly.
Salary vs. contract rates
The hourly column is an estimate. We convert each annual salary to an hourly equivalent with one simple formula: annual salary ÷ 2,080 hours (40 hours × 52 weeks), rounded to the nearest dollar. For example, $147,180 ÷ 2,080 ≈ $71/hr.
That is a salary-equivalent number, not a quoted contract rate. Actual contract pay depends on the engagement:
- W-2 hourly contractors are employees of the staffing firm, which pays employer taxes and any benefits.
- Corp-to-corp (C2C) / 1099 rates are usually higher than W-2 because the contractor’s company covers its own taxes, insurance, benefits and unpaid time off.
- Bill rates (what a client pays a staffing firm) are higher again, because they include the firm’s costs and margin.
- Skills in short supply, onsite requirements and short timelines push rates up; remote-only roles and longer projects often pull them down.
Why the sources differ
BLS surveys employers about all workers in an occupation, so it includes non-tech companies and uses broad job families (e.g. “Software Developers”).
Robert Half and Motion Recruitment publish recruiter benchmarks for specific job titles in San Jose / Silicon Valley and San Francisco.
Levels.fyi is self-reported total compensation (salary + stock + bonus) and leans toward large tech companies, so it runs well above base-salary surveys.
Single job postings are used only where survey data for a niche role (like PIM) was not publicly available, and are labelled as such.
Where the numbers come from
All sources were checked on Oct 26, 2026. Salary data changes often — we’ll refresh this page periodically.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates. San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara, CA MSA and San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA MSA. 25th, median and 75th-percentile annual wages, pulled from the BLS Public Data API on Oct 26, 2026. Annual wages for all workers in the occupation (not just tech companies).
- Robert Half — Salary Guide, local San Jose, CA salary benchmarks (site currently publishing its 2027 Salary Guide). Role pages linked in the table, e.g. Software Engineer – San Jose, CA. Ranges run from “new to the role” to “extensive experience and advanced skills.” Viewed Oct 26, 2026.
- Motion Recruitment — 2026 Tech Salary Guide. Silicon Valley and San Francisco summary pages (figures quoted as published, rounded). Viewed Oct 26, 2026.
- Levels.fyi — self-reported total compensation, San Francisco Bay Area. Technical Program Manager (403 reported salaries) and ML / AI Software Engineer. Total compensation includes stock and bonus and skews toward large tech companies. Pages updated Oct 26, 2026.
- Built In San Francisco — public job postings with pay ranges. Perficient, PIM/PXM Senior Solutions Architect and Salesforce, PIM Specialist Solution Engineer. Single postings, not surveys. Viewed Oct 26, 2026.
Need a number for a real role?
Tell us the skills, level, location and engagement type. We’ll share what we’re seeing in the market for that exact profile — for budgeting a hire or pricing your next contract.