Systems Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 224 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Milpitas.
Median salary$156,853
Middle 50%$134.5k–$180.3k
vs. national median+41%comparison median $111,112
Filings224FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
National median
$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k$250k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $113,320 |
| 25th | $134,462 |
| 50th (median) | $156,853 |
| 75th | $180,323 |
| 90th | $215,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $122,408 | $107,293 | $135,596 | 183 |
| FY2021 | $127,599 | $115,000 | $147,666 | 174 |
| FY2022 | $140,200 | $116,438 | $160,000 | 180 |
| FY2023 | $126,464 | $115,814 | $161,438 | 137 |
| FY2024 | $137,763 | $116,543 | $179,625 | 130 |
| FY2025 | $151,091 | $133,108 | $178,006 | 134 |
| FY2026 | $160,159 | $139,456 | $187,018 | 90 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median Systems Engineer salary of $156,853 is worth about $142,000 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Top employers filing
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm | $158,579 | 34 |
| Applied Materials | $165,218 | 24 |
| Applied Intuition | $233,000 | 15 |
| Compunnel Software Group | too few | 7 |
| Super Micro Computer | too few | 6 |
| Arista Networks | too few | 5 |
| Waymo | too few | 5 |
| too few | 4 | |
| Cadence Design Systems | too few | 4 |
| Nxp | too few | 4 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $99,840 | 33 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $139,722 | 52 |
| Senior · Level III | $178,006 | 45 |
| Expert · Level IV | $215,000 | 33 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.