Civil Engineers pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $81,790 a year or less, while the top 10% make $205,330 or more. The middle half of civil engineers in San Jose earn between $100,300 and $166,320.
- $82K10th
- $100K25th
- $130KMedian
- $166K75th
- $205K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $137,910 | $11,492 | $66.30 |
| Median | $130,280 | $10,857 | $62.63 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $100,300 | $8,358 | $48.22 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $166,320 | $13,860 | $79.96 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Civil Engineers salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $137,910, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $96,794 a year, or $8,066 a month and $3,723 every two weeks. Taxes take 30% 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 civil 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 $137,910 buys what about $124,892 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.6 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 11.7 years of this average salary before tax.
Civil Engineers salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 1st of 25 California metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- San Jose$137,910
- San Francisco$136,350
- Napa$130,620
- Sacramento$129,650
- Redding$124,340
- Santa Rosa$122,750
- Vallejo$122,290
- Santa Maria$121,890
- Salinas$120,250
- Los Angeles$120,120
Highest-paying cities for civil engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($137,910).
- San Jose, CA$137,910
- San Francisco, CA$136,350
- Napa, CA$130,620
- Sacramento, CA$129,650
- Redding, CA$124,340
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Civil Engineers salary in San Jose: questions
How much do civil engineers make an hour in San Jose?
$66.30 an hour on average, and $62.64 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level civil engineers salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $81,790 a year and the 25th percentile is $100,300, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the civil engineers take-home pay in San Jose?
About $96,794 a year ($8,066 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $137,910. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do civil engineers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 26% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($109,384).
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 17-2051; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.2%.
- 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 1.18, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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