Physicist salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 67 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Stanford, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Milpitas, Moffett Field.
Also listed as: Medical Physicist, Assistant Physicist
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $82,000 |
| 25th | $91,360 |
| 50th (median) | $144,000 |
| 75th | $175,505 |
| 90th | $185,147 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $122,273 | $110,195 | $138,286 | 74 |
| FY2021 | $111,031 | $82,250 | $140,044 | 50 |
| FY2022 | $130,382 | $108,872 | $149,940 | 50 |
| FY2023 | $124,000 | $89,561 | $149,760 | 39 |
| FY2024 | $102,250 | $83,963 | $148,223 | 36 |
| FY2025 | $128,565 | $88,959 | $157,776 | 46 |
| FY2026 | $159,595 | $104,500 | $183,872 | 21 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Physicist salary of $144,000 is worth about $130,400 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Physicists in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $173,450 in May 2025 (440 employed). The H-1B median here is $144,000, 17% lower.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | $84,500 | 24 |
| Applied Materials | $183,622 | 13 |
| Kla | too few | 6 |
| Bay Area Environmental Research Institute | too few | 4 |
| Western Digital Technologies | too few | 4 |
| PsiQuantum | too few | 3 |
| SETI Institute | too few | 3 |
| TSMC Technology | too few | 2 |
| Varian Medical Systems | 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 | $90,600 | 32 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $160,332 | 22 |
| Senior · Level III | too few | 2 |
| Expert · Level IV | – | 0 |
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 | $78,853 | $90,600 | 32 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $156,083 | $160,332 | 22 |
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.