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Hiring a loan officer in San Jose, CA

Employers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area pay loan officers a median of $95,090 a year, with the middle half of the market between $60,100 and $134,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2072). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do San Jose residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area pay?

San Jose residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $103,348 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $115,570 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole business and financial operations group, not this one role. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area the group covers 27 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from credit counselors at $80,680 to financial risk specialists at $166,240 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with loan officers at $95,090 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 27 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what San Jose residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a loan officer earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to loan officers by employers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2072.
25th percentile$60,100
Median$95,090
75th percentile$134,630

Half of loan officers in this area earn between $60,100 and $134,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $60,100 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 13-2072 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What San Jose residents earn

$103,348

Median annual earnings of San Jose residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 32,173 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Meet with applicants to obtain information for loan applications and to answer questions about the process.
  • Analyze applicants' financial status, credit, and property evaluations to determine feasibility of granting loans.
  • Approve loans within specified limits, and refer loan applications outside those limits to management for approval.
  • Explain to customers the different types of loans and credit options that are available, as well as the terms of those services.
  • Submit applications to credit analysts for verification and recommendation.

Task statements for SOC 13-2072, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Oracle PeopleSoft.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 13-2072 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in San Jose?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 13-2072.

That matters here, because 46.5% of San Jose adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of San Jose aged 25 and over.

The average San Jose commute runs 28.1 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.5% of San Jose workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for San Jose.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Santa Clara County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 8,561 and turns over 8.7% a quarter, with 1,072 hires against 603 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,190 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about loan officers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $95,090 median in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $19,018 to $28,527 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a loan officer in San Jose

What does it cost to hire a loan officer in San Jose?
Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $95,090 median wage in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $19,018 to $28,527 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a loan officer in San Jose look like?
Employers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area pay loan officers a median of $95,090, with the middle half of the market between $60,100 and $134,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $60,100 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do San Jose residents in business and financial operations work earn more than employers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area pay?
San Jose residents working in business and financial operations occupations earn a median of $103,348 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $115,570 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in San Jose?
This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 46.5% of San Jose adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a loan officer somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in San Jose

Related

San Jose is the 3rd largest of 21 California cities in this dataset.