High paying teaching and library jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Every teaching and library occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single teaching and library job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA run 10.4% above the national average (2024), so a San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA salary is worth about 0.91× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find teaching jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

OccupationMedian, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA · Employed

1Business Teachers, Postsecondary$160,090
Doctoral or professional degree
$74,920 – $324,590830
2Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary$154,760
Doctoral or professional degree
$103,790 – $336,530520
3Education Teachers, Postsecondary$121,520
Doctoral or professional degree
$79,910 – $159,270430
4Special Education Teachers, Middle School$121,070
Bachelor's degree
$78,660 – $134,250360
5Special Education Teachers, Secondary School$117,640
Bachelor's degree
$74,590 – $148,320400
6Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$108,230
Bachelor's degree
$70,820 – $151,8104,130
7Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary$105,720
Doctoral or professional degree
$92,430 – $203,450440
8Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$105,030
Bachelor's degree
$76,620 – $134,1103,330
9Librarians and Media Collections Specialists$103,240
Master's degree
$57,250 – $147,740700
10Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$102,860
Bachelor's degree
$64,770 – $126,9807,810
11Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary$100,140
Doctoral or professional degree
$84,910 – $193,210370
12Instructional Coordinators$99,030
Master's degree
$64,760 – $156,190990
13Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School$98,640
Bachelor's degree
$68,220 – $132,290790
14Postsecondary Teachers, All Other$94,690
Doctoral or professional degree
$62,250 – $169,4103,130
15Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$94,370
Master's degree
$64,420 – $159,940690
16Special Education Teachers, All Other$87,430
Bachelor's degree
$49,960 – $131,940420
17Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$84,620
Bachelor's degree
$54,880 – $142,430430
18Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All Other$79,270
Bachelor's degree
$38,860 – $129,3002,710
19Teachers and Instructors, All Other$77,720
Bachelor's degree
$48,740 – $132,4101,580
20Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$72,330
Bachelor's degree
$49,520 – $79,0003,800
21Self-Enrichment Teachers$58,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,380 – $122,8704,420
22Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$51,190
Associate's degree
$45,460 – $72,9003,570
23Tutors$50,350
Some college, no degree
$39,370 – $71,5202,270
24Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$49,010
Some college, no degree
$39,170 – $63,2307,240
25Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary$45,110
Bachelor's degree
$37,740 – $72,850930

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Business Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$160,090	$74,920 – $324,590	830
2	Engineering Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$154,760	$103,790 – $336,530	520
3	Education Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$121,520	$79,910 – $159,270	430
4	Special Education Teachers, Middle SchoolBachelor's degree	$121,070	$78,660 – $134,250	360
5	Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolBachelor's degree	$117,640	$74,590 – $148,320	400
6	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationBachelor's degree	$108,230	$70,820 – $151,810	4,130
7	Psychology Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$105,720	$92,430 – $203,450	440
8	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationBachelor's degree	$105,030	$76,620 – $134,110	3,330
9	Librarians and Media Collections SpecialistsMaster's degree	$103,240	$57,250 – $147,740	700
10	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree	$102,860	$64,770 – $126,980	7,810
11	Philosophy and Religion Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$100,140	$84,910 – $193,210	370
12	Instructional CoordinatorsMaster's degree	$99,030	$64,760 – $156,190	990
13	Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary SchoolBachelor's degree	$98,640	$68,220 – $132,290	790
14	Postsecondary Teachers, All OtherDoctoral or professional degree	$94,690	$62,250 – $169,410	3,130
15	Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondaryMaster's degree	$94,370	$64,420 – $159,940	690
16	Special Education Teachers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$87,430	$49,960 – $131,940	420
17	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree	$84,620	$54,880 – $142,430	430
18	Educational Instruction and Library Workers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$79,270	$38,860 – $129,300	2,710
19	Teachers and Instructors, All OtherBachelor's degree	$77,720	$48,740 – $132,410	1,580
20	Substitute Teachers, Short-TermBachelor's degree	$72,330	$49,520 – $79,000	3,800
21	Self-Enrichment TeachersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,330	$40,380 – $122,870	4,420
22	Preschool Teachers, Except Special EducationAssociate's degree	$51,190	$45,460 – $72,900	3,570
23	TutorsSome college, no degree	$50,350	$39,370 – $71,520	2,270
24	Teaching Assistants, Except PostsecondarySome college, no degree	$49,010	$39,170 – $63,230	7,240
25	Teaching Assistants, PostsecondaryBachelor's degree	$45,110	$37,740 – $72,850	930

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

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The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to rank honestly.

High paying teaching and library jobs in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

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