Mid-level Chemist salary in San Jose, CA

Based on 11 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Palo Alto, Milpitas, Santa Clara, Stanford, Sunnyvale.

Also listed as: Quality Control Chemist, Analytical Chemist

Median salary$100,630
Middle 50%$96.4k–$120k
vs. all levels here−27%comparison median $138,590
Filings11FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $92,206 and $156,744.
PercentileSalary
10th$92,206
25th$96,350
50th (median)$100,630
75th$120,000
90th$127,440

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $90k $120k FY2020: median $77,085 (16 filings) FY2021: median $88,026 (20 filings) FY2025: median $106,050 (10 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 16 filings FY20 FY2021: 20 filings FY21 FY2022: 8 filings FY22 FY2023: 6 filings FY23 FY2024: 5 filings FY24 FY2025: 10 filings FY25 FY2026: 1 filings FY26 20
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$77,085$77,085$80,00016
FY2021$88,026$84,770$91,29120
FY2022–––8
FY2023–––6
FY2024–––5
FY2025$106,050$95,675$122,50010
FY2026–––1

Cost of living

San Jose's median mid-level Chemist salary of $100,630 is worth about $91,100 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).

Compared with all workers here

All Chemists in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $114,890 in May 2025 (580 employed). The H-1B median here is $100,630, 12% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Daniscotoo few3
Genista Biosciencestoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $83,658 12
Mid-level · Level II $100,630 11
Senior · Level III $145,000 17
Expert · Level IV $150,051 13

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$69,014$83,65812
Mid-level · Level II$92,206$100,63011
Senior · Level III$125,341$145,00017
Expert · Level IV$150,051$150,05113

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.