Electrical Engineers pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $116,900 a year or less, while the top 10% make $258,100 or more. The middle half of electrical engineers in San Jose earn between $157,150 and $218,170.
- $117K10th
- $157K25th
- $187KMedian
- $218K75th
- $258K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $189,370 | $15,781 | $91.04 |
| Median | $187,060 | $15,588 | $89.93 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $157,150 | $13,096 | $75.55 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $218,170 | $18,181 | $104.89 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Electrical Engineers salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $189,370, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $127,483 a year, or $10,624 a month and $4,903 every two weeks. Taxes take 33% 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 electrical 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 $189,370 buys what about $171,495 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 8.5 years of this average salary before tax.
Electrical Engineers salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 1st of 20 California metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- San Jose$189,370
- San Francisco$162,170
- Santa Rosa$148,660
- Santa Cruz$147,650
- Los Angeles$145,760
- Vallejo$144,580
- Santa Maria$141,670
- Sacramento$141,080
- Fresno$137,150
- Salinas$136,120
Highest-paying cities for electrical engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($189,370).
- San Jose, CA$189,370
- San Francisco, CA$162,170
- Albuquerque, NM$158,230
- Austin, TX$157,930
- Manchester, NH$149,130
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Electrical Engineers salary in San Jose: questions
How much do electrical engineers make an hour in San Jose?
$91.04 an hour on average, and $89.93 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level electrical engineers salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $116,900 a year and the 25th percentile is $157,150, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the electrical engineers take-home pay in San Jose?
About $127,483 a year ($10,624 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $189,370. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do electrical engineers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 50% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($125,905).
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 17-2071; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.0%.
- 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 2.87, this job is 2.9 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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