Cognizant salaries in San Jose, CA
Based on 189 certified H-1B filings by Cognizant in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Base salary only.
Median salary$166,962
Middle 50%$139.4k–$181.3k
vs. all employers here−7%comparison median $178,705
Filings189FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
All employers here
$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k$250k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $132,579 |
| 25th | $139,443 |
| 50th (median) | $166,962 |
| 75th | $181,293 |
| 90th | $223,142 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $115,669 | $100,152 | $122,990 | 491 |
| FY2021 | $122,990 | $101,587 | $133,973 | 202 |
| FY2022 | $133,973 | $110,094 | $134,264 | 120 |
| FY2023 | $141,086 | $130,000 | $166,379 | 158 |
| FY2024 | $170,914 | $134,466 | $175,584 | 139 |
| FY2025 | $166,962 | $139,443 | $166,962 | 108 |
| FY2026 | $181,293 | $150,218 | $223,142 | 81 |
By job
| Job | Median here | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Systems Engineer / Architect | $166,962 | 134 |
| QA Engineer | $164,154 | 25 |
| Project Manager | too few | 7 |
| Programmer Analyst | too few | 5 |
| Data Engineer | too few | 4 |
| Network Administrator | too few | 4 |
| Software Engineer | too few | 4 |
| Industrial Engineer | too few | 2 |
Jobs with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings; links go to all employers for that job in San Jose, CA.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | – | 0 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $132,579 | 46 |
| Senior · Level III | $166,962 | 97 |
| Expert · Level IV | $223,142 | 46 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.