Mid-level Data Scientist salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 1,231 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, Palo Alto, Cupertino.
Also listed as: Machine Learning Scientist
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $148,699 |
| 25th | $159,047 |
| 50th (median) | $174,304 |
| 75th | $187,464 |
| 90th | $215,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $135,000 | $115,000 | $141,586 | 230 |
| FY2021 | $128,750 | $120,000 | $144,406 | 230 |
| FY2022 | $138,000 | $130,000 | $153,300 | 399 |
| FY2023 | $145,600 | $130,416 | $170,186 | 529 |
| FY2024 | $180,000 | $170,186 | $196,500 | 465 |
| FY2025 | $166,853 | $150,000 | $180,000 | 800 |
| FY2026 | $179,000 | $174,304 | $197,449 | 431 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median mid-level Data Scientist salary of $174,304 is worth about $157,900 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 $174,304, 6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| $174,000 | 145 | |
| TikTok | $195,298 | 126 |
| Amazon | $174,304 | 109 |
| Adobe | $174,304 | 82 |
| ByteDance | $215,000 | 71 |
| $174,304 | 47 | |
| PayPal | $178,883 | 40 |
| LatentView Analytics | $148,699 | 32 |
| Microsoft | $174,255 | 32 |
| $148,699 | 24 |
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.