Mid-level Systems Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 52 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Milpitas.
Median salary$139,722
Middle 50%$132.6k–$156.7k
vs. all levels here−11%comparison median $156,853
Filings52FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
All levels here
$110k$120k$130k$140k$150k$160k$170k$180k$190k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $126,071 |
| 25th | $132,580 |
| 50th (median) | $139,722 |
| 75th | $156,681 |
| 90th | $170,980 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $115,378 | $109,277 | $124,800 | 67 |
| FY2021 | $120,578 | $114,859 | $125,000 | 59 |
| FY2022 | $124,176 | $116,175 | $133,000 | 47 |
| FY2023 | $126,464 | $124,964 | $144,485 | 59 |
| FY2024 | $132,750 | $131,144 | $154,500 | 41 |
| FY2025 | $137,000 | $132,800 | $151,091 | 35 |
| FY2026 | $140,000 | $131,100 | $156,853 | 17 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median mid-level Systems Engineer salary of $139,722 is worth about $126,500 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm | too few | 7 |
| Compunnel Software Group | too few | 7 |
| too few | 3 | |
| Applied Materials | too few | 3 |
| Super Micro Computer | too few | 3 |
| IBM | too few | 2 |
| Msr Technology Group | 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.