BLS OEWS, May 2025

Accountant salary in San Jose, CA

What accountants are paid in San Jose, CA, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$121,700

Middle half earn

$96,430 to $156,700

People in this job here

13,180

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Accountants and Auditors, San Jose, CA, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$78,440
25th percentile
$96,430
Median
$121,700
75th percentile
$156,700
90th percentile
$196,890

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2011. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How San Jose, CA compares

  • The median here is 45% above the national median of $83,680.
  • San Jose, CA ranks 1st for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 13,180 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 86 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.5 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

San Jose, CA against the national figures
PercentileSan Jose, CANational
10th percentile$78,440$56,020
25th percentile$96,430$67,020
Median$121,700$83,680
75th percentile$156,700$109,810
90th percentile$196,890$144,090

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2011. National page for accountants

By metro

Other metros for accountants

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in an accountant

The skills our accountant resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • GAAP
  • Month-end close
  • Account reconciliation
  • General ledger
  • Accounts payable
  • Accounts receivable
  • Financial reporting
  • Variance analysis
  • Fixed assets
  • Accruals and prepaids

See the full accountant resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $96,430 puts you in the bottom quarter for accountants in San Jose, CA. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $121,700, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $156,700 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Accountants and Auditors, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about accountant pay in San Jose, CA

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