Senior Backend Developer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 56 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Cupertino.
Median salary$230,750
Middle 50%$204.9k–$262k
vs. all levels here+23%comparison median $187,741
Filings56FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
All levels here
$150k$175k$200k$225k$250k$275k$300k$325k$350k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $199,542 |
| 25th | $204,900 |
| 50th (median) | $230,750 |
| 75th | $262,007 |
| 90th | $305,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $150,000 | $142,475 | $157,438 | 40 |
| FY2021 | $160,000 | $153,010 | $170,000 | 38 |
| FY2022 | $170,000 | $160,000 | $180,000 | 46 |
| FY2023 | $190,000 | $170,000 | $240,000 | 33 |
| FY2024 | $236,000 | $200,000 | $270,000 | 29 |
| FY2025 | $225,569 | $203,051 | $260,500 | 44 |
| FY2026 | $249,500 | $235,750 | $269,020 | 12 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median senior Backend Developer salary of $230,750 is worth about $209,000 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Employers filing at this level
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | $262,026 | 17 |
| ByteDance | $245,000 | 15 |
| Atlassian | too few | 4 |
| Mobileye | too few | 4 |
| Coupang Global | too few | 2 |
| Panasonic Well | too few | 2 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $149,365 | 96 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $188,840 | 112 |
| Senior · Level III | $230,750 | 56 |
| Expert · Level IV | $257,257 | 50 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.