San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · CBSA 41940
Mechanical Engineer Salary in San Jose
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for mechanical engineers in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against California and the national benchmark.
Mechanical Engineers in San Jose earn a median of $147,730 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $120,430–$179,870; the top 10% earn $224,620. That is 44% above the national median and 17% above the California median. BLS reports 3,910 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$147,730
+44% vs national
Top 10% earn
$224,620
90th percentile
Employed in metro
3,910
Reliability Good (5.5% RSE)
Mechanical Engineer pay — San Jose vs California vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $100,540 | +46% |
| 25th percentile | $120,430 | +47% |
| Median50th percentile | $147,730 | +44% |
| 75th percentile | $179,870 | +38% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $224,620 | +39% |
| Meanaverage | $159,270 | +45% |
How concentrated mechanical engineers are in San Jose
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
1.86
Jobs per 1,000
3.45
Metro rank (pay)
#1 of 342
All engineering roles
$198,002
At a location quotient of 1.86, San Jose is a genuine hub for this discipline — the occupation is roughly 1.9× as concentrated here as nationally, which usually means deeper employer competition and more lateral options.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a mechanical engineer make in San Jose?
Does San Jose pay more than the rest of California?
Where does San Jose rank nationally for mechanical engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2141 (Mechanical Engineers), San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →