HR Specialist salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 118 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Cupertino.
Also listed as: Recruiter
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $81,000 |
| 25th | $100,600 |
| 50th (median) | $135,500 |
| 75th | $165,410 |
| 90th | $180,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $85,000 | $68,976 | $120,000 | 73 |
| FY2021 | $90,000 | $76,000 | $110,874 | 61 |
| FY2022 | $104,400 | $85,000 | $131,388 | 73 |
| FY2023 | $120,000 | $90,000 | $143,500 | 59 |
| FY2024 | $123,150 | $86,528 | $142,500 | 62 |
| FY2025 | $126,880 | $94,971 | $163,500 | 63 |
| FY2026 | $150,738 | $114,340 | $168,035 | 55 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median HR Specialist salary of $135,500 is worth about $122,700 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Human Resources Specialists in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $112,140 in May 2025 (7,970 employed). The H-1B median here is $135,500, 21% higher.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $178,100 | 17 |
| ByteDance | $132,438 | 17 |
| TikTok | $136,500 | 12 |
| Apple | too few | 3 |
| HireIO | too few | 3 |
| Intellipro Group | too few | 3 |
| OKBL USA Technology | too few | 3 |
| Tencent America | too few | 3 |
| WeRide | too few | 3 |
| Applied Materials | too few | 2 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $74,000 | 21 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $107,900 | 28 |
| Senior · Level III | $135,000 | 23 |
| Expert · Level IV | $168,000 | 42 |
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 | $73,112 | $74,000 | 21 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $91,437 | $107,900 | 28 |
| Senior · Level III | $124,862 | $135,000 | 23 |
| Expert · Level IV | $150,738 | $168,000 | 42 |
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.