BLS OEWS, May 2025

Social media manager salary in San Francisco, CA

What social media managers are paid in San Francisco, CA, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$102,520

Middle half earn

$75,750 to $147,230

People in this job here

6,290

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Public Relations Specialists, San Francisco, CA, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$58,030
25th percentile
$75,750
Median
$102,520
75th percentile
$147,230
90th percentile
$179,710

No dedicated BLS code; social media roles are counted under public relations.

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 27-3031. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How San Francisco, CA compares

  • The median here is 37% above the national median of $74,750.
  • San Francisco, CA ranks 2nd for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 6,290 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 377 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 3.1 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

San Francisco, CA against the national figures
PercentileSan Francisco, CANational
10th percentile$58,030$44,110
25th percentile$75,750$56,260
Median$102,520$74,750
75th percentile$147,230$100,370
90th percentile$179,710$135,150

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 27-3031. National page for social media managers

By metro

Other metros for social media managers

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in a social media manager

The skills our social media manager resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Content calendar planning
  • Short-form video
  • Community management
  • Paid social
  • Influencer partnerships
  • Brand voice
  • Copywriting for social
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Crisis response
  • Platform strategy

See the full social media manager resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $75,750 puts you in the bottom quarter for social media managers in San Francisco, CA. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $102,520, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $147,230 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Public Relations Specialists, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about social media manager pay in San Francisco, CA

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