2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

New York vs. San Jose

Software Developers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 15-1252
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
100k200k300k NEW YORK $166,830 SAN JOSE $213,110
Table 1 — Adjusted

San Jose's median is 27.7% higher — but after local prices, San Jose still leads by 30.2%.

New York's median $166,830 buys $148,200 at national prices (price parity 112.6); San Jose's $213,110 buys $193,000 (110.4).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is San Jose against New York.

New YorkSan JoseΔ
Employment121,00087,350−27.8%
10th percentile$101,690$138,420+36.1%
25th percentile$130,650$173,650+32.9%
Median$166,830$213,110+27.7%
75th percentile$205,970$226,080+9.8%
90th percentile$224,590$289,150+28.7%
Sources

How this page was made

Wage data
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
Price parity
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
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Software Developers in New York · Software Developers in San Jose

Percentiles are reported exactly as released. Derived (price-adjusted) figures round to the nearest hundred. We take no payment for how any figure is presented.