Materials Engineers pay range in San Jose
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $101,450 a year or less, while the top 10% make $218,760 or more. The middle half of materials engineers in San Jose earn between $130,770 and $180,130.
- $101K10th
- $131K25th
- $157KMedian
- $180K75th
- $219K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $156,740 | $13,062 | $75.36 |
| Median | $156,730 | $13,061 | $75.35 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $130,770 | $10,898 | $62.87 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $180,130 | $15,011 | $86.60 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Materials Engineers salary after taxes in San Jose
On the average salary of $156,740, a single filer in San Jose takes home about $107,913 a year, or $8,993 a month and $4,150 every two weeks. Taxes take 31% 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 materials 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 $156,740 buys what about $141,945 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.9 times the median wage of all jobs in San Jose ($84,050). A typical home costs $1,610,466, or 10.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Materials Engineers salary in other California cities
San Jose ranks 1st of 8 California metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.
- San Jose$156,740
- Bakersfield$135,510
- San Francisco$133,770
- Los Angeles$127,780
- Sacramento$122,450
- Oxnard$120,320
- San Diego$117,680
- Riverside$104,740
Highest-paying cities for materials engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($156,740).
- San Jose, CA$156,740
- Seattle, WA$153,780
- Washington, DC$145,070
- Boulder, CO$143,470
- Houston, TX$138,820
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Materials Engineers salary in San Jose: questions
How much do materials engineers make an hour in San Jose?
$75.36 an hour on average, and $75.35 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level materials engineers salary in San Jose?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $101,450 a year and the 25th percentile is $130,770, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the materials engineers take-home pay in San Jose?
About $107,913 a year ($8,993 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $156,740. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do materials engineers earn more in San Jose than elsewhere?
The average here is 28% more than the U.S. metro average for this job ($122,532).
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 17-2131; area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (41940). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
- 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 3.32, this job is 3.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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