Expert Industrial Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 525 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Palo Alto, Milpitas.
Also listed as: Manufacturing Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $166,962 |
| 25th | $170,000 |
| 50th (median) | $171,000 |
| 75th | $186,000 |
| 90th | $212,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $161,000 | $146,058 | $175,000 | 58 |
| FY2021 | $164,562 | $150,000 | $180,000 | 122 |
| FY2022 | $160,000 | $148,750 | $180,000 | 177 |
| FY2023 | $155,832 | $143,874 | $176,979 | 149 |
| FY2024 | $160,700 | $148,200 | $170,587 | 203 |
| FY2025 | $170,248 | $166,962 | $178,400 | 298 |
| FY2026 | $172,100 | $170,248 | $191,070 | 227 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median expert Industrial Engineer salary of $171,000 is worth about $154,900 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Industrial Engineers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $136,950 in May 2025 (4,800 employed). The H-1B median here is $171,000, 25% higher.
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 | $170,248 | 223 |
| Tesla | $189,249 | 43 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations | $170,248 | 33 |
| $224,000 | 29 | |
| Applied Materials | $171,905 | 28 |
| Marvell Semiconductor | $171,000 | 10 |
| Meta | too few | 9 |
| Sandisk Technologies | too few | 9 |
| Infineon Technologies Americas | too few | 8 |
| NVIDIA | too few | 7 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $95,139 | 224 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $127,036 | 493 |
| Senior · Level III | $147,780 | 458 |
| Expert · Level IV | $171,000 | 525 |
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 | $92,976 | $95,139 | 224 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $120,182 | $127,036 | 493 |
| Senior · Level III | $142,293 | $147,780 | 458 |
| Expert · Level IV | $170,248 | $171,000 | 525 |
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.