Environmental Engineer.
San Jose.
$142,000
median salary, 37% above the national average
$111,000 to $179,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
San Jose is 38% more expensive than the national average. For Environmental Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $142,000, with the full range spanning $111,000 to $179,000. PE licensure, specialization in water treatment or air quality, and experience with EPA regulatory compliance drive the biggest salary differences. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Environmental Engineer in San Jose, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $125,550 for Environmental Engineers (SOC 17-2081) in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, based on 180 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$96,400
25th percentile
$99,980
Median
$125,550
75th percentile
$152,950
90th percentile
$171,200
Workers surveyed
180
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Environmental Engineers (SOC 17-2081) rather than Environmental Engineer specifically. The San Jose range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 17-2081Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $128,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$92,000
to $114,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$121,000
to $149,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$156,000
to $185,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$178,000
to $220,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $37,000 to the total package.
Base
$142,000
Equity
$21,000
Bonus
$13,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $179,000
How San Jose compares.
San Jose, CA
$142,000
Cost of living: 38% above average
National Average
$104,000
San Jose is $38,000 above
Environmental Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in San Jose.
What you should know.
The Environmental Engineer landscape in San Jose is not what most salary sites will tell you. San Jose is the capital of Silicon Valley, home to Apple, Google, Adobe, and Cisco. The city consistently ranks among the highest paying metros in the country for technology roles. Competition for talent is fierce, with employers offering aggressive compensation packages including equity, signing bonuses, and premium benefits to attract and retain engineers. PE licensure, specialization in water treatment or air quality, and experience with EPA regulatory compliance drive the biggest salary differences. Engineers working on remediation of contaminated sites or in the oil and gas sector earn premiums for hazardous conditions expertise.
Junior Environmental Engineers earn $70,000 to $80,000. Mid-career engineers with PE licensure reach $88,000 to $105,000. Senior Engineers and Project Managers command $105,000 to $130,000, while Principal Engineers and Directors at consulting firms exceed $145,000. In San Jose, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 38% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. PE-licensed engineers receive immediate salary bumps of 10 to 15%. Annual bonuses of 5 to 12% are typical at consulting firms. Government roles offer pension benefits and strong job security, though base salaries trend 10 to 15% lower than private sector. And on the tax side: california's top 13.3% state rate applies fully here. While gross salaries in San Jose are among the nation's highest, the tax burden means net pay may not stretch as far as expected. When someone quotes you $142,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Always negotiate equity alongside base salary. San Jose employers expect candidates to evaluate total compensation including RSUs, and leaving equity on the table is leaving money behind. The range for Environmental Engineers in San Jose runs from $111,000 to $179,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Environmental Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Jose.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Environmental Engineer Salary in San Jose, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/environmental-engineer/san-jose
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