Senior Software Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 3,601 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III 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 | $199,534 |
| 25th | $209,100 |
| 50th (median) | $226,138 |
| 75th | $235,000 |
| 90th | $252,500 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $153,000 | $143,958 | $170,010 | 6,127 |
| FY2021 | $160,000 | $149,000 | $175,000 | 4,887 |
| FY2022 | $170,000 | $158,000 | $184,353 | 5,669 |
| FY2023 | $180,000 | $167,149 | $199,288 | 3,463 |
| FY2024 | $234,062 | $215,000 | $248,000 | 965 |
| FY2025 | $218,900 | $200,000 | $228,000 | 2,617 |
| FY2026 | $232,553 | $226,138 | $250,000 | 984 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median senior Software Engineer salary of $226,138 is worth about $204,800 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 $226,138, 6% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| $225,000 | 942 | |
| Amazon | $226,138 | 298 |
| $199,534 | 165 | |
| Microsoft | $213,814 | 160 |
| TikTok | $250,000 | 126 |
| ByteDance | $250,000 | 104 |
| Tesla | $261,250 | 87 |
| Waymo | $240,000 | 79 |
| Rivian | $232,500 | 74 |
| Uber | $230,100 | 65 |
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.