Entry-level Validation Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 103 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Mountain View, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto.
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $100,069 |
| 25th | $100,318 |
| 50th (median) | $117,389 |
| 75th | $128,750 |
| 90th | $170,200 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $78,083 | $78,083 | $91,250 | 24 |
| FY2021 | $100,000 | $82,433 | $108,750 | 38 |
| FY2022 | $90,000 | $88,962 | $110,500 | 48 |
| FY2023 | $100,000 | $95,851 | $107,000 | 15 |
| FY2024 | $103,648 | $95,340 | $115,280 | 23 |
| FY2025 | $104,500 | $100,069 | $123,293 | 48 |
| FY2026 | $125,700 | $100,318 | $150,000 | 55 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median entry-level Validation Engineer salary of $117,389 is worth about $106,300 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Validation Engineers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $169,650 in May 2025 (4,970 employed). The H-1B median here is $117,389, 31% lower.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kla | $126,450 | 17 |
| The Leland Stanford, Jr University | too few | 6 |
| Apple | too few | 5 |
| Rivian | too few | 4 |
| Applied Intuition | too few | 4 |
| Edf | too few | 4 |
| Perennial Autonomy | too few | 4 |
| too few | 3 | |
| Agility Robotics | too few | 3 |
| Momenta | too few | 3 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $117,389 | 103 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $146,316 | 307 |
| Senior · Level III | $165,724 | 305 |
| Expert · Level IV | $190,744 | 203 |
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 | $100,318 | $117,389 | 103 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $129,459 | $146,316 | 307 |
| Senior · Level III | $158,621 | $165,724 | 305 |
| Expert · Level IV | $187,762 | $190,744 | 203 |
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.