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1 / 50#50. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $139,490
- Median hourly wage: $67.06
- Total employment: 270 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in San Jose that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in San Jose, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $139,550
- Median hourly wage: $67.09
- Total employment: 530 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 50#48. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $141,150
- Median hourly wage: $67.86
- Total employment: 9,940 people (8.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 50#47. Budget analysts
- Median annual wage: $141,590
- Median hourly wage: $68.07
- Total employment: 350 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $145,360
- Median hourly wage: $69.89
- Total employment: 590 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $147,730
- Median hourly wage: $71.02
- Total employment: 3,910 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $148,430
- Median hourly wage: $71.36
- Total employment: 700 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 50#43. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $151,260
- Median hourly wage: $72.72
- Total employment: 480 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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9 / 50#42. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $151,980
- Median hourly wage: $73.07
- Total employment: 2,100 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $152,650
- Median hourly wage: $73.39
- Total employment: 300 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $152,940
- Median hourly wage: $73.53
- Total employment: 490 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Materials scientists
- Median annual wage: $156,530
- Median hourly wage: $75.26
- Total employment: 90 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $157,770
- Median hourly wage: $75.85
- Total employment: 3,490 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FrameStockFootages // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Special effects artists and animators
- Median annual wage: $158,070
- Median hourly wage: $75.99
- Total employment: 400 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $159,250
- Median hourly wage: $76.56
- Total employment: 1,440 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $160,800
- Median hourly wage: $77.31
- Total employment: 8,510 people (7.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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17 / 50#34. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $161,510
- Median hourly wage: $77.65
- Total employment: 3,020 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $161,750
- Median hourly wage: $77.76
- Total employment: 1,710 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $162,480
- Median hourly wage: $78.11
- Total employment: 17,070 people (15.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 50#31. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $165,700
- Median hourly wage: $79.66
- Total employment: 7,590 people (6.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $166,210
- Median hourly wage: $79.91
- Total employment: 930 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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22 / 50#29. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $167,340
- Median hourly wage: $80.45
- Total employment: 840 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $167,460
- Median hourly wage: $80.51
- Total employment: 4,510 people (3.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $168,070
- Median hourly wage: $80.80
- Total employment: 15,550 people (13.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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25 / 50#26. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $169,930
- Median hourly wage: $81.70
- Total employment: 2,250 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $170,760
- Median hourly wage: $82.10
- Total employment: 850 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $173,160
- Median hourly wage: $83.25
- Total employment: 6,570 people (5.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $173,640
- Median hourly wage: $83.48
- Total employment: 1,640 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $174,120
- Median hourly wage: $83.71
- Total employment: 2,950 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Physical scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $174,810
- Median hourly wage: $84.04
- Total employment: 300 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Life scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $175,330
- Median hourly wage: $84.29
- Total employment: 60 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $175,520
- Median hourly wage: $84.38
- Total employment: 2,500 people (2.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $178,100
- Median hourly wage: $85.62
- Total employment: 4,290 people (3.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $179,050
- Median hourly wage: $86.08
- Total employment: 4,800 people (4.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $186,920
- Median hourly wage: $89.87
- Total employment: 4,750 people (4.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $194,510
- Median hourly wage: $93.52
- Total employment: 650 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Computer hardware engineers
- Median annual wage: $197,090
- Median hourly wage: $94.76
- Total employment: 9,320 people (8.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $200,450
- Median hourly wage: $96.37
- Total employment: 9,170 people (8.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $208,270
- Median hourly wage: $100.13
- Total employment: 90,280 people (79.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $208,940
- Median hourly wage: $100.45
- Total employment: 21,460 people (18.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $215,120
- Median hourly wage: $103.42
- Total employment: 13,530 people (11.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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42 / 50#9. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $218,460
- Median hourly wage: $105.03
- Total employment: 910 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $218,920
- Median hourly wage: $105.25
- Total employment: 9,350 people (8.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $220,680
- Median hourly wage: $106.10
- Total employment: 350 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $221,480
- Median hourly wage: $106.48
- Total employment: 1,100 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $226,940
- Median hourly wage: $109.11
- Total employment: 5,270 people (4.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $228,580
- Median hourly wage: $109.90
- Total employment: 7,590 people (6.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $231,740
- Median hourly wage: $111.41
- Total employment: 940 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Chief executives (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 2,430 people (2.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Computer and information systems managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 20,190 people (17.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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