Data Entry Specialist salary in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA
No other area in California pays data entry specialists more than San Jose-Sunnyvale: the median is $54,510 a year1. That is 16.0% above the California statewide median of $47,010, and 31.9% above the US median of $41,340. It is the highest-paying of the 394 US areas with data for this job. BLS counts about 720 people in this job here, 5% of the California total.
BLS occupation 43-9021, area San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in San Jose-Sunnyvale against California and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA | $43,680 | $54,510 | $70,520 | |
| California | $37,490 | $47,010 | $61,520 | |
| United States | $31,200 | $41,340 | $58,790 |
The middle half of data entry specialists in San Jose-Sunnyvale earns $46,380–$57,260. Pay is tightly grouped: the top tenth starts at $70,520, only 1.6 times the bottom tenth, against 1.9 times across the US, so the going rate is easier to read. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is only $10,880 wide, against $12,660 across California and $12,650 nationally: employers in San Jose-Sunnyvale pay within a narrower band.
What to budget for a data entry specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $43,680 | $3,640 | $21.00 | $56,361 |
| 25th percentile | $46,380 | $3,865 | $22.30 | $59,845 |
| Median | $54,510 | $4,542 | $26.21 | $70,335 |
| 75th percentile | $57,260 | $4,772 | $27.53 | $73,884 |
| 90th percentile | $70,520 | $5,877 | $33.90 | $90,994 |
Local pay is bunched just above the median: the 75th percentile is only $2,750 over it, while the 25th sits $8,130 below. Moving an offer from the median to the 75th percentile costs about $3,548 more a year with benefits. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $41,340 falls below the 10th percentile in San Jose-Sunnyvale, and the California statewide median of $47,010 falls between the 25th percentile and the median. An offer at the national rate would be lower than what nine in ten local data entry specialists earn.
What a hire really costs in San Jose-Sunnyvale
At the $54,510 median, a local hire costs about $70,335 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $15,825 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for data entry specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in San Jose-Sunnyvale
Of the 17 roles we track in San Jose-Sunnyvale, this one ranks #16 by median pay, between e-commerce order specialists ($58,170) and virtual receptionists ($47,130). Marketing Specialist is the highest at $141,960.
| Role | Median | vs data entry specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative Assistant | +15.5% | 7,970 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | +11.0% | 8,860 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | +6.7% | 620 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | this role | 720 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | -13.5% | 3,990 |
Measured against the US median, data entry specialists rank #14 of the 17 roles we track in San Jose-Sunnyvale (+31.9%), between project coordinators (+32.1%) and bookkeepers (+30.5%). The typical role here is at +35.1%, so, measured against the US, data entry specialists cost less in San Jose-Sunnyvale than the area's general pay level would suggest. Data entry specialists hold 0.7% of the jobs in these 17 roles in San Jose-Sunnyvale, 0.9% across California and 0.8% nationally. The job is a smaller part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in California
Across the 25 areas of California with data for this job, the median runs from $39,520 in Santa Maria-Santa Barbara to $54,510 in San Jose-Sunnyvale, a gap of $14,990 a year. All 5 areas in California with more data entry specialists than San Jose-Sunnyvale pay less, among them Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA ($47,040) and San Francisco-Oakland, CA ($51,250).
| Area | Median | vs San Jose-Sunnyvale | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA | this area | 720 | |
| San Francisco-Oakland, CA | -6.0% | 1,410 | |
| Napa, CA | -10.3% | 60 | |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | -11.3% | 160 | |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | -13.7% | 5,900 | |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA | -13.8% | 970 | |
| Vallejo, CA | -14.9% | 60 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, San Jose-Sunnyvale is #34 of 389 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. No US metro area pays data entry specialists more than San Jose-Sunnyvale; the table shows the next highest outside California. Of the three markets with about as many data entry specialists, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs San Jose-Sunnyvale | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA | this area | 720 | ||
| Albuquerque, NM | -2.2% | 220 | pay | |
| Bismarck, ND | -2.5% | 30 | pay | |
| Bloomington, IN | -5.0% | 230 | pay | |
| Olympia-Lacey, WA | -5.2% | 140 | pay | |
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | -13.8% | 760 | jobs | |
| Nashville-Murfreesboro, TN | -18.4% | 760 | jobs | |
| Hartford-West Hartford, CT | -37.3% | 710 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a data entry specialist in San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA?
About $70,335 a year at the median, or $5,861 a month: $54,510 in pay plus about $15,825 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do data entry specialists earn in San Jose-Sunnyvale?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $54,510 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $43,680, the 90th $70,520, and the middle half earned $46,380 to $57,260.
Is San Jose-Sunnyvale the most expensive area in California for data entry specialists?
Yes. Its median of $54,510 is the highest of 25 areas in California. San Francisco-Oakland comes next at $51,250.
How many data entry specialists work in San Jose-Sunnyvale?
BLS counts about 720 in the May 2025 survey. That is 5% of the California total of 14,520. 5 areas in California have more; the closest in size is Sacramento-Roseville, with about 970.
Does a data entry specialist cost more than a virtual receptionist in San Jose-Sunnyvale?
Yes: $7,380 a year more at the median. The medians are $54,510 and $47,130.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-9021: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.