Entry-level Systems Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 33 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Milpitas.
Median salary$99,840
Middle 50%$98.2k–$140k
vs. all levels here−36%comparison median $156,853
Filings33FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
All levels here
$80k$90k$100k$110k$120k$130k$140k$150k$160k$170k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $97,594 |
| 25th | $98,218 |
| 50th (median) | $99,840 |
| 75th | $140,000 |
| 90th | $154,184 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $90,231 | $85,023 | $95,823 | 32 |
| FY2021 | $96,300 | $92,914 | $109,250 | 20 |
| FY2022 | $104,291 | $97,614 | $104,291 | 28 |
| FY2023 | $82,796 | $77,000 | $100,516 | 22 |
| FY2024 | $93,101 | $91,354 | $105,385 | 35 |
| FY2025 | $98,234 | $98,218 | $108,622 | 18 |
| FY2026 | $128,000 | $97,922 | $151,000 | 15 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median entry-level Systems Engineer salary of $99,840 is worth about $90,400 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Employers filing at this level
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Nxp | too few | 3 |
| KloudData | too few | 2 |
| REI Systems | too few | 2 |
| Scaleflux | too few | 2 |
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.