Senior Mechanical Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 449 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Cupertino, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View.
Also listed as: Mechanical Design Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $155,043 |
| 25th | $155,043 |
| 50th (median) | $160,000 |
| 75th | $180,000 |
| 90th | $205,676 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $145,000 | $129,051 | $161,842 | 191 |
| FY2021 | $140,000 | $130,000 | $160,000 | 240 |
| FY2022 | $145,000 | $133,509 | $160,000 | 322 |
| FY2023 | $150,000 | $138,000 | $164,740 | 213 |
| FY2024 | $150,000 | $140,525 | $169,800 | 201 |
| FY2025 | $158,995 | $155,043 | $180,000 | 288 |
| FY2026 | $166,400 | $158,995 | $182,875 | 161 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median senior Mechanical Engineer salary of $160,000 is worth about $144,900 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Mechanical Engineers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $168,030 in May 2025 (5,540 employed). The H-1B median here is $160,000, 5% 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 | $155,043 | 117 |
| Tesla | $178,604 | 60 |
| Rivian | $196,013 | 34 |
| Applied Materials | $161,374 | 16 |
| Intuitive Surgical Operations | $155,043 | 15 |
| $203,230 | 14 | |
| Kla | $163,734 | 12 |
| Ford | too few | 8 |
| Cisco Systems | too few | 8 |
| Meta | 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 | $108,160 | 144 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $140,718 | 386 |
| Senior · Level III | $160,000 | 449 |
| Expert · Level IV | $185,869 | 397 |
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 | $105,269 | $108,160 | 144 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $128,690 | $140,718 | 386 |
| Senior · Level III | $155,043 | $160,000 | 449 |
| Expert · Level IV | $185,869 | $185,869 | 397 |
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.