Expert Sales Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 238 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV 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 | $198,702 |
| 25th | $198,702 |
| 50th (median) | $200,304 |
| 75th | $223,835 |
| 90th | $242,001 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $159,536 | $159,536 | $165,765 | 99 |
| FY2021 | $167,000 | $158,371 | $178,397 | 111 |
| FY2022 | $185,000 | $171,350 | $200,000 | 107 |
| FY2023 | $185,723 | $185,723 | $187,741 | 80 |
| FY2024 | $191,759 | $187,741 | $206,000 | 83 |
| FY2025 | $200,304 | $200,304 | $224,368 | 110 |
| FY2026 | $199,702 | $198,702 | $214,226 | 128 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median expert Sales Engineer salary of $200,304 is worth about $181,400 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 $200,304, 13% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA | $200,304 | 45 |
| $229,000 | 40 | |
| Cadence Design Systems | $198,702 | 19 |
| ServiceNow | $200,304 | 18 |
| Kla | too few | 7 |
| HCLTech | too few | 6 |
| Intel | too few | 6 |
| Siemens | too few | 5 |
| Palo Alto Networks | too few | 3 |
| Texas Instruments Incorporated | too few | 3 |
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.