Mid-level Computer Hardware Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 286 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II 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 | $170,000 |
| 25th | $176,696 |
| 50th (median) | $182,750 |
| 75th | $190,000 |
| 90th | $200,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $140,000 | $130,000 | $152,000 | 249 |
| FY2021 | $151,000 | $139,100 | $160,000 | 174 |
| FY2022 | $163,500 | $157,000 | $175,000 | 264 |
| FY2023 | $170,000 | $160,000 | $179,000 | 164 |
| FY2024 | $173,500 | $166,000 | $181,750 | 183 |
| FY2025 | $180,000 | $171,150 | $187,000 | 164 |
| FY2026 | $187,000 | $180,000 | $196,898 | 122 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median mid-level Computer Hardware Engineer salary of $182,750 is worth about $165,500 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 $182,750, 13% 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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| $185,000 | 139 | |
| Amazon | $176,100 | 41 |
| Meta | $182,500 | 16 |
| Annapurna Labs (U.S.) | $195,000 | 13 |
| Microsoft | $183,140 | 13 |
| Tesla | $265,000 | 12 |
| Etched.ai | too few | 3 |
| Groq | too few | 3 |
| Pure Storage | too few | 3 |
| Waymo | too few | 3 |
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.