Santa Clara County · California · West · 990k residents
San Jose, CA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on San Jose: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $4,064/wk. California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%. Commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh.
Compare San Jose side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$4,064/wk
Corporate income tax
8.84%
Bachelor's degree or higher
47.3%
Commercial electricity
25.5¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast San Jose's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
66/100
Steady
Ranks San Jose's residential building-permit and jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| Median home value | $1,450,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $900 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,900/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $3,550/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 9.38% |
| Corporate income tax | 8.84% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $4,064/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47.3% |
| Commercial electricity | 25.5¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 45.4/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $213,110 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $216,740 |
| Wage: General manager | $163,860 |
| Wage: Customer service | $60,480 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $44,970 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $70,730 |
| Wage: Electrician | $91,030 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $44,220 |
| Cost of living index | 168 |
| Groceries index | 114 |
| Utilities | $230/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $4.70/gal |
| Healthcare index | 110 |
| Childcare (per child) | $2,200/mo |
| Median household income | $133,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% |
| Population | 990k |
| Crime index | 36/100 |
| School rating | 7.5/10 |
| Walkability | 51/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 30 min |
| Sunny days / year | 257 days |
| July high | 82°F |
| January low | 43°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | -2.2% |
| Home price MoM | -0.8% |
| Rent YoY | +4.8% |
| Rent MoM | +0.5% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | +0.3% |
| Building permits YoY | +65.8% |
| Ocean coast | 31 mi |
| Big lake | 85 mi |
| Mountains | 14 mi |
| Major airport | 3 mi |
| Ski resort | 133 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Milpitas, CA · 79k
- Santa Clara, CA · 130k
- Sunnyvale, CA · 154k
- Mountain View, CA · 84k
- Cupertino, CA · 59k
Similar size
- San Francisco, CA · 830k
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- Fresno, CA · 546k
- Sacramento, CA · 529k
- Long Beach, CA · 456k
Real listings in San Jose
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is San Jose a good place to run a business?
- California's corporate income tax rate is 8.84%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $4,064/wk; commercial electricity averages 25.5¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in San Jose, CA?
- San Jose indexes at 168 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $3,550/mo and a median home value of $1,450,000.
- How much does a house cost in San Jose?
- The median home value in San Jose is $1,450,000 (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in San Jose?
- A two-bedroom in San Jose rents for about $3,550/mo.