Entry-level Systems Engineer / Architect salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 366 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Cupertino, Palo Alto.
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $97,594 |
| 25th | $98,218 |
| 50th (median) | $98,265 |
| 75th | $115,000 |
| 90th | $148,163 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $90,000 | $82,555 | $96,106 | 180 |
| FY2021 | $90,000 | $84,490 | $102,000 | 203 |
| FY2022 | $90,000 | $89,648 | $103,002 | 165 |
| FY2023 | $88,000 | $76,960 | $95,000 | 173 |
| FY2024 | $93,938 | $91,354 | $110,000 | 314 |
| FY2025 | $98,218 | $98,218 | $103,750 | 226 |
| FY2026 | $103,978 | $97,594 | $142,705 | 140 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median entry-level Systems Engineer / Architect salary of $98,265 is worth about $89,000 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Computer Systems Engineers/Architects in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $184,430 in May 2025 (16,680 employed). The H-1B median here is $98,265, 47% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company | $97,594 | 35 |
| TikTok | $180,000 | 23 |
| Bridgenexus Technologies | $98,218 | 11 |
| Emonics | $97,906 | 10 |
| Juniper Networks | too few | 8 |
| ByteDance | too few | 6 |
| Microsoft | too few | 6 |
| Amazon | too few | 5 |
| Global Technology And Services | too few | 5 |
| NVIDIA | too few | 5 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $98,265 | 366 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $139,443 | 1,589 |
| Senior · Level III | $181,293 | 1,064 |
| Expert · Level IV | $223,142 | 860 |
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 | $98,218 | $98,265 | 366 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $139,443 | $139,443 | 1,589 |
| Senior · Level III | $181,293 | $181,293 | 1,064 |
| Expert · Level IV | $223,142 | $223,142 | 860 |
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.