City guides / San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The largest concentration of tech H-1B jobs in the country, the highest wages, and the highest housing costs.
Guide Wages: DOL wage year 2026-27 H-1B filings: DOL disclosure data
What the jobs pay
Prevailing wages for the San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara metro area. Your employer must pay at least the wage for your job's level. Explore every job and level →
H-1B salaries here by job: Software Developers · Computer Occupations, All Other · Data Scientists · Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers · Computer Programmers · Computer and Information Systems Managers · Computer Systems Analysts · Industrial Engineers · Mechanical Engineers · Financial and Investment Analysts · Accountants and Auditors · Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
| Job | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | $152,797 | $187,075 | $221,374 | $255,653 |
| Data Scientists | $125,486 | $168,917 | $212,326 | $255,757 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $102,960 | $129,938 | $156,894 | $183,872 |
| Electrical Engineers | $130,686 | $159,890 | $189,072 | $218,275 |
| Management Analysts | $92,082 | $121,306 | $150,550 | $179,774 |
| Accountants and Auditors | $83,429 | $105,872 | $128,294 | $150,738 |
| Registered Nurses | $140,650 | $167,669 | $194,688 | $221,707 |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary (universities) | $91,100 | $159,010 | $226,920 | $294,830 |
Who sponsors here
41,841 certified H-1B applications (LCAs) from 3,479 employers for jobs in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area. Certified H-1B LCAs decided July 2025 to June 2026. Typical offered pay: $152,000 to $216,000 (middle half), median $183,500.
| Employer | H-1B filings here | Median pay | Green card filings (all US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google LLC | 5000 | $200,000 | 1 |
| Apple Inc. | 4193 | $182,500 | 1,257 |
| NVIDIA Corporation | 2105 | $194,500 | 1,295 |
| Amazon.com Services LLC | 1591 | $190,000 | 57 |
| Wal-Mart Associates, Inc. | 879 | $150,000 | 1,558 |
| LinkedIn Corporation | 838 | $186,000 | 530 |
| Adobe Inc.PERM green card filings suspended | 766 | $193,500 | 645 |
| Tesla, Inc. | 750 | $182,000 | 793 |
| TT Commerce & Global Services LLC | 688 | $215,500 | — |
| Microsoft CorporationPERM green card filings suspended | 674 | $203,000 | 4,526 |
| PayPal, Inc. | 578 | $195,000 | 444 |
| ByteDance Inc. | 516 | $235,000 | 504 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | 514 | $217,000 | 538 |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. | 478 | $179,500 | 844 |
| Palo Alto Networks, Inc. | 407 | $189,000 | 462 |
Most common jobs
Where the jobs are
- San Jose 8607
- Sunnyvale 8080
- Santa Clara 7537
- Mountain View 4879
- Palo Alto 2662
- Cupertino 2538
- Milpitas 923
- Los Gatos 312
- Stanford 255
- Campbell 105
One LCA can cover more than one worker, and a filing is not an approved petition. Green card filings are certified PERM applications for the employer nationwide. Search sponsors by job →
Taxes
California taxes wages at graduated rates up to 13.3%, on top of federal tax. California Franchise Tax Board: tax rates
The good
- More employers means more options if you are laid off during the 60-day grace period
- Large, established Indian and Chinese communities, temples, grocery stores and schools
- Top prevailing wages for software and data jobs
The hard
- Housing is among the most expensive in the country
- State income tax is high
- Long commutes are common
Community
Fremont, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino and San Jose have long-standing South Asian and Chinese communities.
Home away from home
Places of worship, Indian and Asian groceries, restaurants and community groups in and around the city, from OpenStreetMap. Tap a pin or a name for the address.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, updated weekly. Listings depend on what volunteers have mapped, so some places are missing; anyone can add them.
Cost of living
For a realistic budget by family size, see the MIT Living Wage Calculator for this metro area. Compare it with the wage table above to see how far a Level I or II salary goes.
Sources: DOL OFLC wage library, DOL LCA and PERM disclosure data, California Franchise Tax Board: tax rates, MIT Living Wage Calculator. Last verified 2026-09-26.