BLS OEWS, May 2025

Social media manager salary in San Jose, CA

What social media managers 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

$117,620

Middle half earn

$80,010 to $169,140

People in this job here

2,200

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Public Relations Specialists, San Jose, CA, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$61,130
25th percentile
$80,010
Median
$117,620
75th percentile
$169,140
90th percentile
$212,960

No dedicated BLS code; social media roles are counted under public relations.

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 27-3031. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How San Jose, CA compares

  • The median here is 57% above the national median of $74,750.
  • San Jose, CA ranks 1st for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 2,200 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 516 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 3.5 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$61,130$44,110
25th percentile$80,010$56,260
Median$117,620$74,750
75th percentile$169,140$100,370
90th percentile$212,960$135,150

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 27-3031. National page for social media managers

By metro

Other metros for social media managers

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 a social media manager

The skills our social media manager resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Content calendar planning
  • Short-form video
  • Community management
  • Paid social
  • Influencer partnerships
  • Brand voice
  • Copywriting for social
  • Analytics and reporting
  • Crisis response
  • Platform strategy

See the full social media manager resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $80,010 puts you in the bottom quarter for social media managers in San Jose, CA. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $117,620, 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 $169,140 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 Public Relations Specialists, 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 social media manager pay in San Jose, CA

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