Chemists pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $75,990 a year or less, while the top 10% make $184,590 or more. The middle half of chemists in San Jose earn between $91,010 and $150,630.
- $76K10th
- $91K25th
- $115KMedian
- $151K75th
- $185K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $121,350 | $10,112 | $58.34 |
| Median | $114,890 | $9,574 | $55.24 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $91,010 | $7,584 | $43.75 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $150,630 | $12,552 | $72.42 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Chemists salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $121,350, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $87,006 a year, or $7,251 a month and $3,346 every two weeks. Taxes take 28% 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 chemists? 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 $121,350 buys what about $109,896 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.4 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 13.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Chemists salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 2nd of 19 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($130,870).
- San Francisco$130,870
- San Jose$121,350
- Bakersfield$105,620
- Salinas$104,930
- San Diego$101,250
- Napa$100,740
- Santa Rosa$100,440
- Los Angeles$99,150
- Santa Cruz$97,460
- Santa Maria$95,140
Highest-paying cities for chemists
Washington, DC pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($144,550).
- Washington, DC$144,550
- Bay City, MI$139,910
- Lexington Park, MD$132,480
- San Francisco, CA$130,870
- Boston, MA$130,520
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Chemists salary in San Jose: questions
How much do chemists make an hour in San Jose?
$58.34 an hour on average, and $55.24 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level chemists salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $75,990 a year and the 25th percentile is $91,010, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the chemists take-home pay in San Jose?
About $87,006 a year ($7,251 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $121,350. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do chemists earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 19% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($101,816).
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 19-2031; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.4%.
- 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 0.96, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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