Software Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 32,111 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Cupertino.
Also listed as: Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, SDE
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $149,041 |
| 25th | $164,000 |
| 50th (median) | $187,974 |
| 75th | $217,500 |
| 90th | $240,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $143,000 | $122,408 | $163,680 | 21,009 |
| FY2021 | $151,000 | $130,894 | $170,872 | 19,726 |
| FY2022 | $160,000 | $141,378 | $184,080 | 21,686 |
| FY2023 | $168,000 | $145,000 | $192,941 | 16,459 |
| FY2024 | $182,000 | $156,000 | $204,985 | 15,147 |
| FY2025 | $186,000 | $159,000 | $215,000 | 18,175 |
| FY2026 | $191,400 | $167,000 | $222,335 | 13,936 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Software Engineer salary of $187,974 is worth about $170,200 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Developers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $213,110 in May 2025 (87,350 employed). The H-1B median here is $187,974, 12% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| $192,000 | 6,892 | |
| Apple | $192,286 | 3,230 |
| Amazon | $187,020 | 2,394 |
| Walmart | $150,080 | 1,172 |
| NVIDIA | $199,534 | 1,021 |
| $186,142 | 937 | |
| Microsoft | $198,000 | 849 |
| PayPal | $180,000 | 706 |
| Adobe | $192,910 | 704 |
| TikTok | $215,000 | 671 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $149,500 | 2,340 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $189,280 | 7,419 |
| Senior · Level III | $226,138 | 3,601 |
| Expert · Level IV | $258,442 | 3,198 |
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 | $149,365 | $149,500 | 2,340 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $172,931 | $189,280 | 7,419 |
| Senior · Level III | $199,534 | $226,138 | 3,601 |
| Expert · Level IV | $226,158 | $258,442 | 3,198 |
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.