Engineering Director salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 720 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Palo Alto, Mountain View.
Also listed as: Architectural and Engineering Manager, Manager Hardware Engineering
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $178,818 |
| 25th | $203,848 |
| 50th (median) | $220,059 |
| 75th | $248,186 |
| 90th | $282,880 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $175,139 | $165,027 | $200,004 | 305 |
| FY2021 | $185,146 | $168,334 | $207,029 | 295 |
| FY2022 | $199,750 | $179,242 | $226,975 | 307 |
| FY2023 | $206,000 | $191,497 | $228,000 | 254 |
| FY2024 | $210,900 | $190,000 | $239,200 | 272 |
| FY2025 | $219,300 | $196,000 | $243,256 | 381 |
| FY2026 | $227,909 | $213,512 | $248,200 | 339 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Engineering Director salary of $220,059 is worth about $199,300 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Architectural and Engineering Managers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $234,590 in May 2025 (5,130 employed). The H-1B median here is $220,059, 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.
Top employers filing
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | $223,915 | 193 |
| Apple | $219,300 | 104 |
| Intel | $243,256 | 48 |
| Applied Materials | $203,063 | 30 |
| Cadence Design Systems | $213,512 | 23 |
| Meta | $267,945 | 15 |
| Synopsys | $226,991 | 13 |
| Kla | $221,809 | 12 |
| Applied Intuition | $250,000 | 11 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations | $180,400 | 11 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $178,818 | 87 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $213,512 | 239 |
| Senior · Level III | $248,186 | 131 |
| Expert · Level IV | $282,880 | 91 |
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 | $172,994 | $178,818 | 87 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $213,512 | $213,512 | 239 |
| Senior · Level III | $248,186 | $248,186 | 131 |
| Expert · Level IV | $282,880 | $282,880 | 91 |
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.