SOC 25-1032 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary — San Jose
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · 7 metro areas compared
The median wage for Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary in San Jose, CA is $154,760 per year, well above the national median of $109,270.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow faster than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +8.1%
- Openings per year
- 4,100
- Typical entry-level education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary in San Jose, CA is $154,760 per year, well above the national median of $109,270. The gap of 41.6% is among the widest recorded for this occupation. Pay ranges from under $103,790 at the tenth percentile to more than $336,530 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $128,600 to $277,180.
Employment stands at 520, or 0.5 jobs per thousand held locally. San Francisco leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $175,200. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 82nd of 574 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $103,790 | −5.0% |
| 25th | $128,600 | +17.7% |
| Median (50th) | $154,760 | +41.6% |
| 75th | $277,180 | +153.7% |
| 90th | $336,530 | +208.0% |
| Mean | $187,890 | +72.0% |
Other metro areas in California
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | $175,200 | 230 | |
| 2 | Riverside | $163,110 | 90 | |
| 3 | Los Angeles | $137,760 | 1,130 | |
| 4 | Fresno | $130,790 | 40 | |
| 5 | Santa Maria | $128,440 | 90 | |
| 6 | San Diego | $126,680 | 230 | |
| 7 | Sacramento | $100,700 | 150 |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in San Jose run 10.4% above the national average, so the median of $154,760 buys what $140,181 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 28.3% above the national median in real terms.
Published median
$154,760as reported by BLSLocal price level
110.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$140,181US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $154,760 a year, 41.6% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $103,790 to $336,530 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 520 jobs in this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is San Francisco, at $175,200.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary in San Jose, CA?
The median annual wage is $154,760, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $109,270, so pay in San Jose, CA is 41.6% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in San Jose, CA earns more than $336,530 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $103,790 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
Which area nearby pays the most?
The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in San Francisco, at $175,200 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 520 jobs in this occupation in San Jose, CA. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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