Mid-level Engineering Director salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 239 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II 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 | $208,125 |
| 25th | $213,512 |
| 50th (median) | $213,512 |
| 75th | $224,000 |
| 90th | $230,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $168,334 | $165,027 | $180,000 | 108 |
| FY2021 | $182,310 | $168,334 | $192,500 | 99 |
| FY2022 | $200,000 | $189,883 | $220,000 | 107 |
| FY2023 | $196,000 | $192,317 | $213,850 | 83 |
| FY2024 | $208,400 | $208,125 | $219,825 | 22 |
| FY2025 | $215,358 | $208,125 | $224,000 | 121 |
| FY2026 | $213,512 | $213,512 | $227,325 | 118 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median mid-level Engineering Director salary of $213,512 is worth about $193,400 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 $213,512, 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.
Employers filing at this level
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | $219,300 | 69 |
| NVIDIA | $213,512 | 60 |
| Applied Materials | too few | 8 |
| Cadence Design Systems | too few | 6 |
| Intel | too few | 5 |
| Archer Aviation | too few | 5 |
| Woven by Toyota | too few | 4 |
| Meta | too few | 3 |
| Micron | too few | 3 |
| Rivian | too few | 3 |
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.