Industrial Designer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 124 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Palo Alto, Santa Clara.
Also listed as: Technical Designer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $99,600 |
| 25th | $124,950 |
| 50th (median) | $165,500 |
| 75th | $181,717 |
| 90th | $202,310 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $110,760 | $83,750 | $150,000 | 64 |
| FY2021 | $126,000 | $96,500 | $157,250 | 68 |
| FY2022 | $145,000 | $85,000 | $172,000 | 57 |
| FY2023 | $144,220 | $102,500 | $173,195 | 32 |
| FY2024 | $146,080 | $121,746 | $171,250 | 44 |
| FY2025 | $165,500 | $135,500 | $181,283 | 83 |
| FY2026 | $168,000 | $123,760 | $181,100 | 41 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Industrial Designer salary of $165,500 is worth about $149,900 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Commercial and Industrial Designers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $141,310 in May 2025 (410 employed). The H-1B median here is $165,500, 17% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | $178,050 | 20 |
| $173,000 | 19 | |
| Microsoft | $179,450 | 14 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations | too few | 7 |
| Rivian | too few | 6 |
| UST | too few | 6 |
| Zymebalanz | too few | 5 |
| TikTok | too few | 3 |
| Axon Enterprise | too few | 3 |
| M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates | 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 | $85,000 | 15 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $147,000 | 45 |
| Senior · Level III | $160,000 | 21 |
| Expert · Level IV | $179,000 | 40 |
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 | $83,699 | $85,000 | 15 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $110,323 | $147,000 | 45 |
| Senior · Level III | $123,760 | $160,000 | 21 |
| Expert · Level IV | $163,571 | $179,000 | 40 |
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.