Senior Systems Engineer / Architect salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 1,064 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III 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 | $166,962 |
| 25th | $166,962 |
| 50th (median) | $181,293 |
| 75th | $192,245 |
| 90th | $216,461 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $141,000 | $136,531 | $160,000 | 731 |
| FY2021 | $146,967 | $137,363 | $164,475 | 748 |
| FY2022 | $150,000 | $142,438 | $170,000 | 869 |
| FY2023 | $164,680 | $140,442 | $180,000 | 805 |
| FY2024 | $179,000 | $170,914 | $200,000 | 1,113 |
| FY2025 | $170,852 | $166,962 | $187,250 | 659 |
| FY2026 | $181,293 | $181,293 | $200,000 | 405 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median senior Systems Engineer / Architect salary of $181,293 is worth about $164,200 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 $181,293, 2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Infosys | $181,293 | 80 |
| Walmart | $181,293 | 73 |
| Amazon | $198,280 | 72 |
| Cognizant | $166,962 | 70 |
| Cisco Systems | $181,293 | 64 |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company | $166,962 | 59 |
| $210,000 | 37 | |
| TikTok | $229,829 | 33 |
| Microsoft | $202,419 | 33 |
| Apple | $166,962 | 32 |
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.