SalaryExplorer

SOC 29-1216 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

General Internal Medicine Physicians — San Jose

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · 10 metro areas compared

$347,870 /year
$167.25per hour
+35.6%vs US median

The median wage for General Internal Medicine Physicians in San Jose, CA is $347,870 per year, well above the national median of $256,560.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $256,56010TH$101,460MEDIAN$347,87090TH$525,180

How pay has moved

$399,613$89,1582019202220242025$347,870
$207,490 in 2019 to $347,870 in 2025, +67.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.3%
Openings per year
2,100
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree
On-the-job training
Internship/residency

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 General Internal Medicine Physicians in San Jose, CA is $347,870 per year, well above the national median of $256,560. The gap of 35.6% is among the widest recorded for this occupation. Pay ranges from under $101,460 at the tenth percentile to more than $525,180 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $101,470 to $473,030.

Santa Cruz leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $430,970. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 4th of 574 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$101,460−60.5%
25th$101,470−60.4%
Median (50th)$347,870+35.6%
75th$473,030+84.4%
90th$525,180+104.7%
Mean$306,970+19.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in California

Median annual wage for General Internal Medicine Physicians, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Santa Cruz$430,970—
2Sacramento$361,590—
3San Francisco$351,670—
4Oxnard$314,720—
5Visalia$307,43070
6Los Angeles$303,980—
7San Luis Obispo$289,840—
8San Diego$282,200—
9Bakersfield$239,200—
10Riverside$99,840650

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in San Jose run 10.4% above the national average, so the median of $347,870 buys what $315,100 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 22.8% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$347,870as reported by BLS

Local price level

110.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$315,100US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $347,870 a year, 35.6% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $101,460 to $525,180 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Santa Cruz, at $430,970.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for General Internal Medicine Physicians in San Jose, CA?

The median annual wage is $347,870, or $167.25 per hour, 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 $256,560, so pay in San Jose, CA is 35.6% 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 $525,180 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $101,460 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 Santa Cruz, at $430,970 per year.

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.

General Internal Medicine Physicians in San Jose, CA Earn $347,870 — 35.6% Above the US Median (2025) | Salary Explorer