San Jose, California
Area Profile
990,138 residents. Jobs, income, climate, physical risk, development and airport access for San Jose, in Santa Clara County.
San Jose ranks in the top 14% of published city profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 4.0% and median household income of $146,427.
Physical-risk exposure is above the national median, driven mainly by earthquake, inland flooding and heat wave.
A major airport is 8 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.0% is lower than 78% of the 140 measured US cities.
Employment fell 0.7% over the past year, to 509,654 employed residents.
47% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 87% of measured US cities.
Household income is higher than at least 95% of measured US cities.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$2,140 | $146,427 | Top 5% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$793 | $65,945 | Top 7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 8.1% | Bottom 38% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute | 29.4 min | Top 36% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47.3% | Top 13% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Employment | 509,654 | Top 8% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years) | 0.0% | Bottom 47% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -0.7% | Top 40% | June 2026 |
| Labor force | 531,143 | Top 8% | June 2026 |
| Labor force participation | 67.7% | Top 25% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage | $119,230 | Top 1% | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage | $84,050 | Top 1% | 2025 OEWS |
| Unemployment change (year over year) | -0.6% | Bottom 14% | June 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.0% | Bottom 22% | June 2026 |
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 87,350 | $213,110 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 49,610 | $37,640 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 23,060 | $44,570 |
| Registered Nurses | 22,930 | $216,740 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 19,070 | $291,660 |
| Retail Salespersons | 18,340 | $44,220 |
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated →An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has fallen 1% since 2020, reaching 997,368 in 2024.
Permitting has turned upward after moving the other way the year before.
85% of recently permitted units are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.
At 4.9 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.
Weather & climate
9 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 81°F and January a low of 42°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 13.5 inches.
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 13.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 42°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high | 81°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months | 9 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing | 19°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are earthquake, inland flooding and heat wave.
Low or minimal exposure: landslide, wildfire, coastal flooding, tornado, lightning, hail, tsunami, volcanic activity, strong wind, winter weather.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Taxes
AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.
Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.
Access
6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 8 miles away.
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norman Y Mineta San Jose Intl | SJC | 8 mi | 11,000 ft |
| Oakland San Francisco Bay | OAK | 37 mi | 10,520 ft |
| San Francisco Intl | SFO | 38 mi | 11,870 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle | 28-day NASR cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) | Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals | Every ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period) |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | June 2026 | Monthly |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS | Annual (spring release) |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate | Annual (vintage released each spring) |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 | Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month |
| Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year | Annual (5-year estimates released each December) |
Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.