Sales Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 863 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Milpitas, Mountain View, Palo Alto.
Also listed as: Solutions Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $127,709 |
| 25th | $145,000 |
| 50th (median) | $169,770 |
| 75th | $198,702 |
| 90th | $213,160 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $136,947 | $115,000 | $159,536 | 415 |
| FY2021 | $150,093 | $127,500 | $162,032 | 396 |
| FY2022 | $155,150 | $131,775 | $175,000 | 399 |
| FY2023 | $158,038 | $130,354 | $185,181 | 352 |
| FY2024 | $160,000 | $137,315 | $187,741 | 358 |
| FY2025 | $169,770 | $140,000 | $200,228 | 466 |
| FY2026 | $173,000 | $150,000 | $198,702 | 397 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Sales Engineer salary of $169,770 is worth about $153,700 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Sales Engineers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $177,490 in May 2025 (1,600 employed). The H-1B median here is $169,770, 4% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| $188,000 | 122 | |
| NVIDIA | $169,770 | 109 |
| Cadence Design Systems | $153,061 | 67 |
| ServiceNow | $168,958 | 57 |
| Cisco Systems | $168,958 | 37 |
| Kla | $180,823 | 21 |
| Arista Networks | $145,816 | 17 |
| Intel | $169,770 | 16 |
| Palo Alto Networks | $200,304 | 15 |
| Siemens | $165,547 | 14 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $109,491 | 66 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $140,000 | 161 |
| Senior · Level III | $171,018 | 182 |
| Expert · Level IV | $200,304 | 238 |
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 | $108,722 | $109,491 | 66 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $139,235 | $140,000 | 161 |
| Senior · Level III | $168,958 | $171,018 | 182 |
| Expert · Level IV | $198,702 | $200,304 | 238 |
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.