Average Salaries in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Explore salaries across 600 occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $90.4K, +46.9% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates. Coverage: 600 occupations and 1,115,600 total jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
How the metro compares
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is one of the higher-paying metros in the country. Average wages here run meaningfully above the national level, though local cost of living often offsets some of that premium.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Training And Development Managers. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Top wages
Highest-paid occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Training And Development Managers | $231.7K | 940 |
| Marketing Managers | $228.6K | 7,590 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $226.9K | 5,270 |
| Nurse Practitioners | $225.7K | 1,280 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $221.5K | 1,100 |
| Compensation And Benefits Managers | $220.7K | 350 |
| Financial Managers | $218.9K | 9,350 |
| Public Relations Managers | $218.5K | 910 |
| Physician Assistants | $215.6K | N/A |
| Managers, All Other | $215.1K | 13,530 |
Most jobs
Largest occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 90,280 | $208.3K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 44,750 | $36.9K |
| Registered Nurses | 21,460 | $208.9K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 21,320 | $42.7K |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | 20,190 | N/A |
| Retail Salespersons | 17,420 | $43.0K |
| General And Operations Managers | 17,070 | $162.5K |
| Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners | 16,470 | $42.9K |
| Cashiers | 16,430 | $41.9K |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | 15,550 | $168.1K |
What San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Location quotient
Most concentrated occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 16.73 | $197.1K |
| Computer And Information Research Scientists | 7.74 | $191.9K |
| Software Developers | 7.42 | $208.3K |
| Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 6.94 | $179.1K |
| Acupuncturists | 5.57 | $91.7K |
| Web And Digital Interface Designers | 5.24 | $178.1K |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts And Testers | 5.16 | $165.7K |
| Semiconductor Processing Technicians | 5.01 | $49.3K |
| Electro-Mechanical And Mechatronics Technologists And Technicians | 4.91 | $74.9K |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | 4.81 | $168.1K |
Peer markets
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89.2K | Natural Sciences Managers |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $80.1K | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $78.4K | Nurse Anesthetists |
| Vallejo, CA | $77.4K | Lawyers |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $77.2K | Podiatrists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $77.1K | Neurologists |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $76.5K | Natural Sciences Managers |
Common salary questions for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.