Entry-level Research Scientist (Computer Science) salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 250 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I 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 | $127,712 |
| 25th | $159,182 |
| 50th (median) | $174,000 |
| 75th | $205,000 |
| 90th | $276,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $130,000 | $115,190 | $159,500 | 91 |
| FY2021 | $120,000 | $117,083 | $140,000 | 41 |
| FY2022 | $135,624 | $116,834 | $167,575 | 82 |
| FY2023 | $160,000 | $140,067 | $170,120 | 151 |
| FY2024 | – | – | – | 9 |
| FY2025 | $169,987 | $159,182 | $184,995 | 91 |
| FY2026 | $181,100 | $129,000 | $237,786 | 159 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median entry-level Research Scientist (Computer Science) salary of $174,000 is worth about $157,600 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 $174,000, 20% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $180,000 | 49 |
| ByteDance | $292,600 | 32 |
| Adobe | $127,712 | 20 |
| NVIDIA | $159,182 | 16 |
| TikTok | $200,000 | 14 |
| Meta | too few | 8 |
| MBZUAI Labs | too few | 7 |
| Capital One | too few | 4 |
| Netflix | too few | 4 |
| Robert Bosch | too few | 4 |
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.