Expert Research Scientist (Computer Science) salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 261 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV 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 | $237,786 |
| 25th | $256,000 |
| 50th (median) | $275,000 |
| 75th | $330,000 |
| 90th | $400,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $199,852 | $194,397 | $237,250 | 74 |
| FY2021 | $198,203 | $198,203 | $220,000 | 75 |
| FY2022 | $209,325 | $197,933 | $234,500 | 87 |
| FY2023 | $262,619 | $260,666 | $283,510 | 18 |
| FY2024 | $300,000 | $257,421 | $340,000 | 13 |
| FY2025 | $275,000 | $257,421 | $325,000 | 95 |
| FY2026 | $277,500 | $250,000 | $336,502 | 166 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median expert Research Scientist (Computer Science) salary of $275,000 is worth about $249,000 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 $275,000, 26% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| ByteDance | $332,504 | 38 |
| Mistral AI | $300,000 | 23 |
| $298,000 | 14 | |
| Meta | $263,803 | 13 |
| NVIDIA | $257,421 | 13 |
| X.ai | $277,500 | 12 |
| Amazon | $288,900 | 10 |
| Netflix | $257,421 | 10 |
| Hippocratic AI | too few | 9 |
| Adobe | too few | 5 |
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.