Senior Industrial Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 458 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III 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 | $142,293 |
| 25th | $144,880 |
| 50th (median) | $147,780 |
| 75th | $165,000 |
| 90th | $191,818 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $140,000 | $125,000 | $155,000 | 157 |
| FY2021 | $135,000 | $124,800 | $145,750 | 174 |
| FY2022 | $140,000 | $128,725 | $150,000 | 228 |
| FY2023 | $133,008 | $125,000 | $150,463 | 212 |
| FY2024 | $141,752 | $125,778 | $154,789 | 255 |
| FY2025 | $145,400 | $142,293 | $163,620 | 293 |
| FY2026 | $150,000 | $145,205 | $166,700 | 165 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median senior Industrial Engineer salary of $147,780 is worth about $133,800 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 $147,780, 8% 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 | $143,100 | 109 |
| Tesla | $165,556 | 76 |
| Applied Materials | $148,382 | 34 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations | $142,293 | 27 |
| $191,500 | 26 | |
| Amazon | $171,288 | 12 |
| Asml | $145,205 | 12 |
| Rivian | too few | 9 |
| Cisco Systems | too few | 9 |
| Western Digital Technologies | 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.