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KnowQuant research deskUpdated 1 September 2026Method 2026.1
New York or San Francisco?
On US dollar equivalent total compensation, New York pays about 5% more than San Francisco across the quant disciplines we benchmark. New York ranks 1st in our hiring index and San Francisco 7th. Both markets hire heavily into statistical arbitrage and ml-driven alpha. Headline pay is only part of the picture: tax, cost of living and visa access change the net outcome materially between these two.
| Measure | New York | San Francisco |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | United States |
| Hiring index rank | #1 of 17 | #7 of 17 |
| Opportunity | Exceptional | Strong |
| Currency | USD | USD |
| Pay index vs New York | 100% | 95% |
| Where demand sits | Quant research, systematic trading, quant dev, ML, data | AI/ML-heavy quant research, crypto, data and engineering |
| Dominant strategies | Statistical arbitrage, Systematic macro, ML-driven alpha, Multi-strategy | ML-driven alpha, Crypto / digital assets, Statistical arbitrage |
| Employers on the desk | jane-street, citadel, two-sigma, de-shaw, millennium, point72, hrt | citadel, jane-street, two-sigma, hrt |
| Visa and right to work | H-1B, O-1 and L-1 are the routes usually discussed for these roles, and many firms also recruit juniors through campus pipelines. Eligibility and timing depend on the route and the employer, so check the current official US guidance and ask the employer which route it would use. | The same US routes apply as in New York, in a market that competes with large technology employers for the same candidates. Check the current official US guidance and confirm sponsorship with the employer. |
Modelled reference estimate of annual total compensation, shown in each market's own currency with the US dollar equivalent in brackets. Positive gap means New York pays more.
| Market | New York | San Francisco | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quant Researcher | $475k | $451k | +5% |
| Quant Trader | $450k | $428k | +5% |
| Quant Developer | $340k | $323k | +5% |
| Quant Analyst | $230k | $219k | +5% |
| HFT / Low-Latency Engineer | $385k | $366k | +5% |
| Systematic Portfolio Manager | $1.3m | $1.2m | +5% |
| Software Engineer | $305k | $290k | +5% |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $390k | $390k | 0% |
| Data Engineer | $285k | $271k | +5% |
| Data Scientist | $245k | $233k | +5% |
| Site Reliability Engineer | $280k | $266k | +5% |
| Network and Infrastructure Engineer | $250k | $238k | +5% |
| Security Engineer | $275k | $261k | +5% |
| Trading Operations Analyst | $175k | $166k | +5% |
| Risk Manager | $240k | $228k | +5% |
| Compliance Officer | $205k | $195k | +5% |
| Fund Finance and Accounting | $200k | $190k | +5% |
| Technical Recruiter | $185k | $176k | +5% |
Direct answers with the figure, the date and the caveat, generated from the same tables above.
New York, by roughly 5% on US dollar equivalent total compensation across the disciplines we benchmark. A quant researcher modelled reference estimate is $475k in New York against $451k in San Francisco. Figures are base plus expected bonus, before tax.
New York ranks higher in our hiring index (#1 against #7), based on live classified vacancy volume, employer breadth and role seniority mix. New York is rated exceptional for opportunity, San Francisco strong.
The deepest quant talent market in the world, and the reference point for global compensation. The trade against San Francisco is about 5% more headline pay, offset by h-1b, o-1 and l-1 are the routes usually discussed for these roles, and many firms also recruit juniors through campus pipelines. eligibility and timing depend on the route and the employer, so check the current official us guidance and ask the employer which route it would use. Compare the tax and cost position before treating the gross gap as real.
jane-street, citadel, two-sigma, hrt run desks in both markets, so an internal transfer is a realistic route. New York additionally carries de-shaw, millennium, point72.
New York: New York concentrates multi-strategy hedge funds, systematic managers and the research arms of the largest proprietary trading firms. Hiring skews toward quantitative research, machine learning and data engineering rather than pure latency work, which sits more heavily in Chicago and Amsterdam. We use New York as the reference point for our own pay index, because firms we track commonly quote other cities relative to it. That is our modelling basis rather than a measured global ranking. San Francisco: The Bay Area quant market is smaller than New York's but distinctive: it draws candidates who could equally take a research role at an AI lab, and firms compete directly with big technology on compensation and problem interest. Crypto and digital-asset trading firms form a meaningful share of demand. Expect stronger ML depth and weaker traditional derivatives coverage than the East Coast.
Yes, with attribution and a link. Method 2026.1, last reviewed September 2026. KnowQuant Quant Compensation Benchmark, Q3 2026 edition, method 2026.1. https://www.know-quant.com/markets/compare/new-york-vs-san-francisco
KnowQuant Quant Compensation Benchmark, Q3 2026 edition, method 2026.1. https://www.know-quant.com/markets/compare/new-york-vs-san-francisco
Free to quote and republish with attribution and a link to the source page, under our terms. Method 2026.1, last reviewed 1 September 2026. The methodology sets out how each band is built and what it excludes.
Figures are expressed as annual total compensation (base salary plus expected performance bonus) in the reference market's local currency, converted from a US dollar base. They describe typical market ranges rather than any individual offer, and exclude sign-on payments, deferred equity and carried interest. Portfolio-manager figures reflect formulaic profit-share arrangements and are therefore far more dispersed than any other role.
KnowQuantIndex 2026.1 · Updated September 2026
Modelled bands describe the market, not an individual offer. Where an employer states pay, the stated figure is used and labelled as such.
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