Aerospace Engineers pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $127,490 a year or less, while the top 10% make $254,880 or more. The middle half of aerospace engineers in San Jose earn between $151,740 and $198,470.
- $127K10th
- $152K25th
- $182KMedian
- $198K75th
- $255K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $181,690 | $15,141 | $87.35 |
| Median | $181,630 | $15,136 | $87.32 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $151,740 | $12,645 | $72.95 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $198,470 | $16,539 | $95.42 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Aerospace Engineers salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $181,690, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $122,646 a year, or $10,220 a month and $4,717 every two weeks. Taxes take 32% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Jose a good place for aerospace engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Jose area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 110.4), so the average $181,690 buys what about $164,540 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.2 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 8.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Aerospace Engineers salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 2nd of 10 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($183,920).
- San Francisco$183,920
- San Jose$181,690
- Los Angeles$161,520
- Sacramento$144,960
- San Diego$144,280
- San Luis Obispo$143,350
- Riverside$141,070
- Santa Maria$137,690
- Bakersfield$134,930
- Oxnard$133,000
Highest-paying cities for aerospace engineers
San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($183,920).
- San Francisco, CA$183,920
- San Jose, CA$181,690
- Omaha, NE$172,720
- Washington, DC$168,780
- Boulder, CO$165,500
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Aerospace Engineers salary in San Jose: questions
How much do aerospace engineers make an hour in San Jose?
$87.35 an hour on average, and $87.32 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level aerospace engineers salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $127,490 a year and the 25th percentile is $151,740, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the aerospace engineers take-home pay in San Jose?
About $122,646 a year ($10,220 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $181,690. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do aerospace engineers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 25% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($144,780).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2011; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.7%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.89, this job is 1.9 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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