Entry-level Data Scientist salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 599 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Cupertino.
Also listed as: Machine Learning Scientist
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $117,291 |
| 25th | $117,500 |
| 50th (median) | $123,531 |
| 75th | $144,000 |
| 90th | $170,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $97,001 | $85,842 | $118,000 | 46 |
| FY2021 | $117,042 | $91,500 | $130,085 | 52 |
| FY2022 | $109,592 | $90,000 | $126,069 | 96 |
| FY2023 | $110,000 | $104,000 | $127,460 | 202 |
| FY2024 | $127,906 | $107,682 | $150,000 | 306 |
| FY2025 | $118,450 | $117,291 | $137,300 | 329 |
| FY2026 | $126,500 | $123,531 | $159,375 | 270 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median entry-level Data Scientist salary of $123,531 is worth about $111,900 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Data Scientists in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $185,080 in May 2025 (6,060 employed). The H-1B median here is $123,531, 33% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | $149,420 | 90 |
| ByteDance | $144,000 | 41 |
| Adobe | $123,531 | 18 |
| Amazon | $146,530 | 14 |
| Western Digital Technologies | too few | 8 |
| Rivian | too few | 7 |
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | too few | 7 |
| Apple | too few | 6 |
| Beshton Software | too few | 5 |
| Microsoft | 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 | $123,531 | 599 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $174,304 | 1,231 |
| Senior · Level III | $210,000 | 582 |
| Expert · Level IV | $257,000 | 368 |
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 | $123,531 | $123,531 | 599 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $148,699 | $174,304 | 1,231 |
| Senior · Level III | $180,128 | $210,000 | 582 |
| Expert · Level IV | $211,536 | $257,000 | 368 |
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.