Senior Systems Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 45 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Clara, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Milpitas.
Median salary$178,006
Middle 50%$165k–$191.8k
vs. all levels here+13%comparison median $156,853
Filings45FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
All levels here
$140k$150k$160k$170k$180k$190k$200k$210k$220k$230k$240k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $160,000 |
| 25th | $165,000 |
| 50th (median) | $178,006 |
| 75th | $191,768 |
| 90th | $223,924 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $140,000 | $134,597 | $148,000 | 46 |
| FY2021 | $145,725 | $141,669 | $155,000 | 41 |
| FY2022 | $151,903 | $148,221 | $169,000 | 59 |
| FY2023 | $153,175 | $151,902 | $168,729 | 28 |
| FY2024 | $180,000 | $164,440 | $195,000 | 25 |
| FY2025 | $178,006 | $166,962 | $202,530 | 24 |
| FY2026 | $181,293 | $162,750 | $188,760 | 21 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median senior Systems Engineer salary of $178,006 is worth about $161,200 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Materials | $163,107 | 12 |
| Qualcomm | too few | 9 |
| Waymo | too few | 5 |
| Latitude AI | too few | 2 |
| Texas Instruments Incorporated | too few | 2 |
| Wi-Fi Alliance | 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.