Compared with the local labor market
Chemist pay vs. the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area
Across all employers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area, the median wage for Chemists — about 2,180 people — is $127,790. Airport Commission pays a median base salary of $137,354 for this role, 7% above that figure — about the 57th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Airport Commission sits in the local pay range
$76,110
$96,100
$127,790
$160,810
$194,730
Airport Commission median · $137,354
The bar is the range of annual wages for Chemists across every employer in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Airport Commission’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Chemists — about 82,770 people — is $91,240. Airport Commission’s median base salary is 51% above that national figure, about the 80th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$58,460
$69,460
$91,240
$125,550
$160,830
Airport Commission median · $137,354
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Airport Commission is $186,665, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
This role across City and County of San Francisco
Chemist is held in 2 City and County of San Francisco departments. In Airport Commission, the median of $186,308 ranks #1 of 2.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the Chemist role in other City and County of San Franciscodepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
Chemist beyond City and County of San Francisco
This role is reported in 16 jurisdictions. In City and County of San Francisco, the median of $178,405 ranks #1 of 16. See Chemist across all of City and County of San Francisco →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable Chemist roles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.