Data Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 336 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Milpitas.
Also listed as: Database Architect, Data Architect
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $138,244 |
| 25th | $151,070 |
| 50th (median) | $180,398 |
| 75th | $210,746 |
| 90th | $240,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $119,400 | $108,784 | $140,000 | 49 |
| FY2021 | $160,830 | $143,000 | $170,363 | 38 |
| FY2022 | $158,627 | $132,436 | $174,024 | 82 |
| FY2023 | $167,467 | $153,344 | $199,920 | 117 |
| FY2024 | $171,209 | $148,658 | $209,734 | 154 |
| FY2025 | $176,246 | $165,000 | $202,093 | 175 |
| FY2026 | $180,398 | $150,051 | $210,746 | 161 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Data Engineer salary of $180,398 is worth about $163,400 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Database Architects in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $197,960 in May 2025 (1,120 employed). The H-1B median here is $180,398, 9% lower.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.
Top employers filing
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | $194,500 | 44 |
| $201,000 | 26 | |
| Amazon | $182,293 | 18 |
| ByteDance | $144,000 | 17 |
| Meta | $210,746 | 15 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations | too few | 9 |
| Deloitte | too few | 6 |
| Adobe | too few | 5 |
| Atlassian | too few | 5 |
| Apple | 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 | $138,362 | 58 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $170,250 | 95 |
| Senior · Level III | $202,093 | 56 |
| Expert · Level IV | $220,000 | 65 |
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 | $119,704 | $138,362 | 58 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $150,051 | $170,250 | 95 |
| Senior · Level III | $180,398 | $202,093 | 56 |
| Expert · Level IV | $210,746 | $220,000 | 65 |
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.