Physicists · SOC 19-2012
Physicists Salary in the San Jose Metro Area
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area
Figures describe the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan statistical area as defined by BLS/OMB — the whole multi-county metro region, not San Jose city limits.
Physicists in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area earned a median of $173,450 per year ($83.39 per hour) as of the May 2025 BLS OEWS estimates. Pay ranged from $122,840 at the 10th percentile to $302,040 at the 90th. BLS estimates 440 people work in this occupation in the area.
Pay distribution
Half of Physicists in the San Jose metro area earn more than $173,450 per year, half earn less; the middle half earn between $150,460 and $226,750.
| Wage | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual | $122,840 | $150,460 | $173,450 | $226,750 | $302,040 |
| Hourly | $59.06 | $72.34 | $83.39 | $109.01 | $145.21 |
A percentile is a cut point: 25% of workers in this occupation and area earn less than the 25th-percentile wage. The median is the 50th percentile — half earn less, half earn more.
How this area compares
- San Jose metro areathis metro area$173,450 median for San Jose metro area; middle half earns $150,460 to $226,750
- Californiastate (CA)$207,490 median for California; middle half earns $173,450 to $222,760
- United Statesnational$172,250 median for United States; middle half earns $111,720 to $222,760
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
The median here is −16% vs California overall and +1% vs the U.S. median for this occupation.
Where this metro sits nationally
Each dot is one metro area with a published median — hover any dot for the name and figure. Metros without published estimates are not drawn.
The San Jose metro area has the 13th-highest published median for this occupation among the 60 metro areas where BLS publishes it. Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.
Other metro areas in California
Metro areas in the same state with published May 2025 medians for physicists, highest first. Areas without published estimates are not listed.
- San Jose metro areathis page$173,450 median for San Jose metro area; middle half earns $150,460 to $226,750
- $163,990 median for Riverside metro area; middle half earns $123,070 to $235,090
- $163,210 median for Oxnard metro area; middle half earns $116,080 to $232,160
- $160,270 median for Los Angeles metro area; middle half earns $114,070 to $203,420
- $156,480 median for San Diego metro area; middle half earns $107,970 to $209,670
- $135,260 median for Bakersfield metro area; middle half earns $101,170 to $159,700
- $120,490 median for Sacramento metro area; middle half earns $91,990 to $140,460
Bars span the 25th–75th percentile (the middle half of workers); the tick marks the median.
Keep exploring
Other occupations in the same SOC group with published medians here, largest employment first:
Highest-paying metro areas for physicistss · Highest-paying occupations in San Jose Metro
About this estimate
These figures are survey estimates from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — modeled from employer reports collected over three years and benchmarked to May 2025. They describe what employers in this area currently pay across all industries, not what any individual worker will be offered.
Employment counts wage-and-salary jobs in the occupation (self-employed workers are excluded). Estimates carry sampling error; percentile wages are rounded by BLS. Some values are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or quality — suppressed values appear here as “not published”, never as zero. Read the full methodology.
About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.