San Jose vs. Seattle
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
Table 1 — Adjusted
San Jose's median is 21.5% higher — but after local prices, San Jose still leads by 22.0%.
San Jose's median $213,110 buys $193,000 at national prices (price parity 110.4); Seattle's $167,280 buys $150,500 (111.1).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Seattle against San Jose.
| San Jose | Seattle | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 87,350 | 92,770 | +6.2% |
| 10th percentile | $138,420 | $99,190 | −28.3% |
| 25th percentile | $173,650 | $132,800 | −23.5% |
| Median | $213,110 | $167,280 | −21.5% |
| 75th percentile | $226,080 | $211,860 | −6.3% |
| 90th percentile | $289,150 | $257,960 | −10.8% |
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.
- Full pages
- Software Developers in San Jose · Software Developers in Seattle
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.