Start with the answer
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists pay in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists is $123,250 per year in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. It is $141,960 per year in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 13.2% below San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 13-1161 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 24,120 wage and salary jobs in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA and 12,710 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings
