Expert Computer Hardware Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 181 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Palo Alto.
Also listed as: Hardware Development Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $215,592 |
| 25th | $227,000 |
| 50th (median) | $230,000 |
| 75th | $250,000 |
| 90th | $270,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $180,873 | $170,375 | $195,206 | 48 |
| FY2021 | $200,000 | $189,613 | $220,000 | 25 |
| FY2022 | $215,000 | $210,000 | $227,750 | 48 |
| FY2023 | $230,000 | $214,867 | $247,005 | 70 |
| FY2024 | $223,381 | $211,120 | $252,300 | 54 |
| FY2025 | $227,000 | $215,596 | $238,995 | 87 |
| FY2026 | $238,500 | $229,590 | $259,750 | 94 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median expert Computer Hardware Engineer salary of $230,000 is worth about $208,300 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Computer Hardware Engineers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $209,860 in May 2025 (7,940 employed). The H-1B median here is $230,000, 10% higher.
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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| $249,500 | 34 | |
| Meta | $227,000 | 26 |
| Apple | $215,592 | 10 |
| Tenstorrent | too few | 8 |
| Tesla | too few | 8 |
| Cerebras Systems | too few | 7 |
| Samsung Austin Semiconductor | too few | 5 |
| Annapurna Labs (U.S.) | too few | 4 |
| Etchedai | too few | 4 |
| Microsoft | too few | 4 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $150,238 | 74 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $182,750 | 286 |
| Senior · Level III | $209,410 | 212 |
| Expert · Level IV | $230,000 | 181 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Minimum H-1B salary by level
| Wage level | Prevailing wage (most common) | Median offered salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $150,238 | $150,238 | 74 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $166,525 | $182,750 | 286 |
| Senior · Level III | $191,048 | $209,410 | 212 |
| Expert · Level IV | $229,590 | $230,000 | 181 |
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.