SOC 19-1013 · Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations · May 2025

How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Soil and Plant Scientists in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $108,200. The 10th percentile is $77,130 and the 90th percentile is $170,710. Employment is 140.

Median annual wage

$108,200

10th percentile
$77,130
25th percentile
$85,200
Median
$108,200
75th percentile
$170,700
90th percentile
$170,710
Mean
$124,130

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A nurse attending an elderly patient in a hospital
A nurse with a patient at a hospital centre in Birmingham. Wellcome Collection. Photograph by Wellcome Collection. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Percentile spread

For Soil and Plant Scientists, the published 10th percentile is $77,130 and the 90th percentile is $170,710. The difference is $93,580, which is 86.5% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $85,200 to the 75th at $170,700, covers $85,500.

The mean annual wage is $124,130, which sits above the median of $108,200. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is 37.2% higher than the national median of $78,850 for Soil and Plant Scientists. In 2024 national prices the local median is $93,588, which is 18.7% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 17.7% higher than the California median of $91,930.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $108,200 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Soil and Plant Scientists at $93,588 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

8 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Soil and Plant Scientists. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 3rd of 9 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Napa, CA is 51 miles away, with a median of $104,120 and employment of 70. That median is 3.8% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $92,507, against $93,588 here.
  • Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA is 63 miles away, with a median of $101,660 and employment of 50. That median is 6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $94,318, against $93,588 here.
  • Modesto, CA is 71 miles away, with a median of $81,570 and employment of 30. That median is 24.6% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $78,351, against $93,588 here.

Employment share

Soil and Plant Scientists accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (140 of 2,373,920). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (15,730 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.58 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · Soil and Plant Scientists by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Soil and Plant Scientists make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Soil and Plant Scientists in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is $108,200. The 10th percentile is $77,130 and the 90th percentile is $170,710. Employment is 140.

How does that compare with the national median for Soil and Plant Scientists?

The local median is 37.2% higher than the national median of $78,850.

What is Soil and Plant Scientists pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $108,200 is $93,588. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA compare with nearby metros for Soil and Plant Scientists?

Napa, CA is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 51 miles away, at $104,120. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 3rd of 9 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.