Research Scientist (Computer Science) salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 2,156 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Cupertino.
Also listed as: Machine Learning Engineer, AI Researcher
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $164,403 |
| 25th | $184,000 |
| 50th (median) | $201,094 |
| 75th | $236,000 |
| 90th | $280,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $165,449 | $141,586 | $180,000 | 636 |
| FY2021 | $170,000 | $144,913 | $186,205 | 508 |
| FY2022 | $175,900 | $155,000 | $196,015 | 642 |
| FY2023 | $182,000 | $168,000 | $202,125 | 560 |
| FY2024 | $196,110 | $179,000 | $225,000 | 384 |
| FY2025 | $199,900 | $185,000 | $225,371 | 898 |
| FY2026 | $204,000 | $182,700 | $240,000 | 1,258 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Research Scientist (Computer Science) salary of $201,094 is worth about $182,100 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Computer and Information Research Scientists in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $218,420 in May 2025 (2,210 employed). The H-1B median here is $201,094, 8% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $198,400 | 487 |
| $205,000 | 333 | |
| Adobe | $195,000 | 126 |
| NVIDIA | $168,790 | 125 |
| Meta | $186,200 | 112 |
| ByteDance | $315,500 | 106 |
| Microsoft | $209,000 | 52 |
| Mistral AI | $280,000 | 44 |
| TikTok | $220,200 | 33 |
| Salesforce | $240,000 | 23 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $174,000 | 250 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $200,000 | 911 |
| Senior · Level III | $224,682 | 370 |
| Expert · Level IV | $275,000 | 261 |
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 | $127,712 | $174,000 | 250 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $164,403 | $200,000 | 911 |
| Senior · Level III | $201,094 | $224,682 | 370 |
| Expert · Level IV | $237,786 | $275,000 | 261 |
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.