What Computer and Information Systems Managers earn in Santa Clara County, CA
The median pay for Computer and Information Systems Managers in Santa Clara County, CA is $291,660 per year, which works out to $140.22 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, the labor market that Santa Clara County, CA belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $319,670, which is 9.6% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 19,070 people working in this occupation across the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Santa Clara County, CA has roughly 1,902,047 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Computer and Information Systems Managers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $164,400 a year ($79.04 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $377,060 or more ($181.28 an hour). That is a gap of $212,660 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $219,860 at the 25th percentile and $319,540 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.3 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $140.22 an hour or $291,660 a year at the median for Santa Clara County, CA. Before any deductions, that is $24,305 a month, $11,218 every two weeks and $5,609 each week. After taxes the same job pays $89.70 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Santa Clara County, CA compares
Compared with the California average
A worker in this occupation in Santa Clara County, CA earns $63,853 more than the California average of $227,807, a premium of 28.0%. Over a year that premium is worth $63,853 before tax and roughly $40,846 after tax. Within California, Santa Clara County, CA already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Computer and Information Systems Managers is $183,368 across the contiguous United States. At $291,660, Santa Clara County, CA pays $108,292 more, which is 59.1% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Santa Clara County, CA
Among the 507 occupations with published wages in Santa Clara County, CA, Computer and Information Systems Managers ranks number 6 by median pay, ahead of about 99% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Registered Nurses at $216,740 a year, which is $74,920 less than the median for Computer and Information Systems Managers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Computer and Information Systems Managers earning the Santa Clara County, CA median of $291,660, they add up to $105,090. The result is $186,570 of take-home pay a year ($15,547 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $36 goes to taxes and $64 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 36.0%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $275,910. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 35% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $66,116, an effective 22.7% of gross pay, well below the 35% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $10,918 on this salary, the maximum for the year because pay exceeds the cap. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $5,054, plus an additional 0.9% on wages above $200,000. FICA totals $15,972, which is 5.5% of gross pay.
State income tax in California
California income tax on this salary is $23,003 a year, or 7.9% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 35% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $1,917 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Santa Clara County, CA
IRS Statistics of Income data for Santa Clara County, CA show an average adjusted gross income of $216,171 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 21.2% across all filers. Filers in the $200,000 or more bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 24.3%, compared with the 22.7% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Santa Clara County, CA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Santa Clara County, CA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $186,570 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Santa Clara County, CA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,778 a month ($33,336 a year), and at $3,272 for two bedrooms. For Computer and Information Systems Managers, a one-bedroom absorbs 17.9% of take-home pay and 11.4% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 1.2% of gross pay for Computer and Information Systems Managers in Santa Clara County, CA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using California residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,378 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $751, for $4,129 in total. Gasoline in California averages $4.42 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $2,047.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $42,947 a year in Santa Clara County, CA. Subtract that from $186,570 of take-home pay and $143,622 remains, which is $11,969 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 49.2% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Can Computer and Information Systems Managers afford to live in Santa Clara County, CA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $291,660 that ceiling is $7,292 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,778 is $4,514 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $53.42 an hour; the median for Computer and Information Systems Managers is $140.22, which is 162% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $89.70 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 7.1 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $3,272 a month means $1,636 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $13,704 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $157,326.
How fast you can save
At $11,969 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 1 month. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 2 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Computer and Information Systems Managers pay in Santa Clara County, CA
How much do Computer and Information Systems Managers make per hour in Santa Clara County, CA?
The median is $140.22 per hour, based on $291,660 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $79.04 at the 10th percentile to $181.28 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Computer and Information Systems Managers take home after taxes in Santa Clara County, CA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $291,660 becomes $186,570 a year. That is $15,547 a month, $7,176 every two weeks or $3,588 a week.
How much tax do Computer and Information Systems Managers pay in Santa Clara County, CA?
Total taxes are $105,090 a year, an effective rate of 36.0%: $66,116 federal income tax, $15,972 FICA and $23,003 California income tax.
Do Computer and Information Systems Managers earn more in Santa Clara County, CA than elsewhere in California?
Yes. The local median of $291,660 is +28.0% versus the California average of $227,807, a difference of $63,853 a year.
Can Computer and Information Systems Managers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Santa Clara County, CA?
A one-bedroom costs $2,778 a month against take-home pay of $15,547, which is 17.9% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $7,292 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Computer and Information Systems Managers in Santa Clara County, CA?
About $11,969 a month ($143,622 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $42,947 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Santa Clara County, CA at the 30% guideline?
$53.42 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $33,336 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Computer and Information Systems Managers is $140.22.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the California rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.