Advertising on Billboards In San Jose, CA
Contact us
About San Jose San Jose, the land of Stanford and Silicon Valley, is probably most associated these days with the tech industry. In fact, the town’s motto for nearly 40 years has been “the capital of Silicon Valley.” Northern California’s largest city has gained renown for its incredible diversity and extremely affluent population (more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city), too. It has fantastic museums, the famed Lick Observatory and even, some claim, a haunted house—that’s Winchester Mystery House, though we can’t vouch for any actual ghosts.
If you want to get your message in front of these well-heeled residents, you’re in luck. We surveyed our media team and put together this comprehensive guide to out-of-home advertising in San Jose.
San Jose, the land of Stanford and Silicon Valley, is probably most associated these days with the tech industry. In fact, the town’s motto for nearly 40 years has been “the capital of Silicon Valley.” Northern California’s largest city has gained renown for its incredible diversity and extremely affluent population (more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city), too. It has fantastic museums, the famed Lick Observatory and even, some claim, a haunted house—that’s Winchester Mystery House, though we can’t vouch for any actual ghosts.
If you want to get your message in front of these well-heeled residents, you’re in luck. We surveyed our media team and put together this comprehensive guide to out-of-home advertising in San Jose.
Data for Billboard Advertisers in San Jose California’s third-most-populous city, San Jose has 983,489 residents, per the Census Bureau’s latest information, up almost 40,000 from the previous Census in 2010. With a median household income of $125,075, San Jose is one of the most affluent cities in the country, about $54,000 higher than the national median. The poverty rate is also very low, under 8%. Commute time is high, at nearly 30 minutes, giving advertisers a good amount of time for drivers to notice their boards.
Data on the number of San Jose billboards are hard to come by. The city recently rescinded a 30-year ban on new billboards and began pursuing a controversial proposal to add up to 100 new digital boards. However, the plans have stalled as the city argues over how many old billboards should be taken down to make way for the new ones, leading to confusion over how many billboards the city has.
Here’s a complete demographic rundown on the San Jose DMA.
California’s third-most-populous city, San Jose has 983,489 residents, per the Census Bureau’s latest information, up almost 40,000 from the previous Census in 2010. With a median household income of $125,075, San Jose is one of the most affluent cities in the country, about $54,000 higher than the national median. The poverty rate is also very low, under 8%. Commute time is high, at nearly 30 minutes, giving advertisers a good amount of time for drivers to notice their boards.
Data on the number of San Jose billboards are hard to come by. The city recently rescinded a 30-year ban on new billboards and began pursuing a controversial proposal to add up to 100 new digital boards. However, the plans have stalled as the city argues over how many old billboards should be taken down to make way for the new ones, leading to confusion over how many billboards the city has.
Here’s a complete demographic rundown on the San Jose DMA.
San Jose, CAPopulation: : 983,489
49%
51%
Veterans
23,637Foreign-born residents:
40.7%Persons per household:
3.08Percent who speak a non-English language at home:
57.9%High school graduates
85.5%Hold at least a bachelor’s degree:
45.4%Median household income:
$125,075Billboards:
N/AYou can find several kinds of out-of-home advertising available in San Jose. Bulletins
When people reference billboards, they generally mean bulletins, the standard-sized ones that sit along highways. Many have immediate calls to action, such as advertising gas available at the next exit.
Dimensions: Bulletins stand 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Posters
Posters are the more compact cousins of bulletins, spanning about half as wide. You can usually find them in downtown areas where space is harder to come by and ads need to be smaller. They cost less but attract equally high-profile advertisers as bulletins
Dimensions + Most posters measure 24 feet, 6 inches wide x 12 feet, 3 inches tall.
Digital Billboards
Digital billboards represent a new frontier in the city of San Jose. The digital signs added near the airport on Highway 101 in early 2022 (measuring 1,000 square feet) marked the first billboard additions since the 1980s. The vendor, Clear Channel, had to make some concessions, like turning the boards off at night. It also removed a dozen boards from low-income neighborhoods in the city. Digital boards are in high demand since the initial lighting.
Dimensions + Digital bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Mobile Billboard Advertising
Mobile billboards get towed around the city, allowing people all over town a glimpse of the moving billboard. In a place like San Jose, where billboard inventory is limited, mobile billboards provide advertisers with a smart workaround. You can deliver your message even in places that don’t have permanent billboards.
Dimensions + The size of mobile billboards varies depending on the length of the truck towing them.
Bulletins
When people reference billboards, they generally mean bulletins, the standard-sized ones that sit along highways. Many have immediate calls to action, such as advertising gas available at the next exit.
Bulletins stand 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Posters
Posters are the more compact cousins of bulletins, spanning about half as wide. You can usually find them in downtown areas where space is harder to come by and ads need to be smaller. They cost less but attract equally high-profile advertisers as bulletins
Most posters measure 24 feet, 6 inches wide x 12 feet, 3 inches tall.
Digital Billboards
Digital billboards represent a new frontier in the city of San Jose. The digital signs added near the airport on Highway 101 in early 2022 (measuring 1,000 square feet) marked the first billboard additions since the 1980s. The vendor, Clear Channel, had to make some concessions, like turning the boards off at night. It also removed a dozen boards from low-income neighborhoods in the city. Digital boards are in high demand since the initial lighting.
Digital bulletins measure 48 feet wide x 14 feet tall.
Mobile Billboard Advertising
Mobile billboards get towed around the city, allowing people all over town a glimpse of the moving billboard. In a place like San Jose, where billboard inventory is limited, mobile billboards provide advertisers with a smart workaround. You can deliver your message even in places that don’t have permanent billboards.
The size of mobile billboards varies depending on the length of the truck towing them.
Best Places in San Jose to Advertise on a Billboard According to our media buyers, these are the best places in San Jose to buy billboards:
Market Street:
Many of the city’s hotels sit along Market Street, so if you want to reach tourists, this is the place to be. The nearby Tech Interactive museum and Plaza de Cesar Chavez also draw visitors. Like most of the market, the hot categories here include tech, mobile and finance. Advertisers across San Jose tend to be high-end, selling products to a moneyed crowd.
San Jose Mineta International Airport:
Airports are always great venues for OOH advertising, with planes delivering new groups of tourists on the hour. In addition to the aforementioned digital billboards near the airport, Highway 101 and I-880 also have many other bulletins. Top categories include the usual Silicon Valley suspects, including tech and finance.
Sunnyvale:
The well-to-do suburb has an upscale audience and plenty of advertising opportunities—mobile billboards are popular here for categories such as entertainment and tech.
Downtown:
South of Horace Mann and north of Sun, downtown San Jose hosts many incredible cultural events at the Hammer Theatre, which San Jose State operates. It draws visitors and residents alike to its unique productions. Top advertising categories include entertainment, music and more.
Gilroy:
A small city that sits to the east of San Jose, Gilroy is best known for its annual garlic festival, but it’s also a good place to reach wealthy residents with money to burn on whatever you advertise. Top categories include technology and finance.
According to our media buyers, these are the best places in San Jose to buy billboards:
Market Street:
Many of the city’s hotels sit along Market Street, so if you want to reach tourists, this is the place to be. The nearby Tech Interactive museum and Plaza de Cesar Chavez also draw visitors. Like most of the market, the hot categories here include tech, mobile and finance. Advertisers across San Jose tend to be high-end, selling products to a moneyed crowd.
San Jose Mineta International Airport:
Airports are always great venues for OOH advertising, with planes delivering new groups of tourists on the hour. In addition to the aforementioned digital billboards near the airport, Highway 101 and I-880 also have many other bulletins. Top categories include the usual Silicon Valley suspects, including tech and finance.
Sunnyvale:
The well-to-do suburb has an upscale audience and plenty of advertising opportunities—mobile billboards are popular here for categories such as entertainment and tech.
Downtown:
South of Horace Mann and north of Sun, downtown San Jose hosts many incredible cultural events at the Hammer Theatre, which San Jose State operates. It draws visitors and residents alike to its unique productions. Top advertising categories include entertainment, music and more.
Gilroy:
A small city that sits to the east of San Jose, Gilroy is best known for its annual garlic festival, but it’s also a good place to reach wealthy residents with money to burn on whatever you advertise. Top categories include technology and finance.
Cost of a Billboard in San Jose San Jose billboards’ relatively high pricing reflects the in-demand inventory and affluence of the billboard advertising’s target audience, which leads to competitive bidding among advertising agencies. Our numbers are based on estimates from our buyers, and they reflect four-week buys.
The Cheapest Billboards in San Jose
Posters: $3,000
The Most Expensive Billboards in San Jose
Bulletins: $8,000 to $12,000
Digital bulletins: $8,000 to $12,000
San Jose billboards’ relatively high pricing reflects the in-demand inventory and affluence of the billboard advertising’s target audience, which leads to competitive bidding among advertising agencies. Our numbers are based on estimates from our buyers, and they reflect four-week buys.
The Cheapest Billboards in San Jose
Posters: $3,000
The Most Expensive Billboards in San Jose
Bulletins: $8,000 to $12,000
Digital bulletins: $8,000 to $12,000
San JoseCreative Examples 
Thinking About Advertising in San Jose? Join the many outdoor advertisers connecting with a desirable audience in northern California. Contact us today to discuss the best locations for your next OOH advertising campaign.
Contact us BILLBOARDS BY CITY BILLBOARD LOS ANGELES BILLBOARD CHICAGO BILLBOARD PHILADELPHIA BILLBOARD ATLANTA BILLBOARD MIAMI BILLBOARD HOUSTON BILLBOARD NASHVILLE BILLBOARD DALLAS BILLBOARD SAN DIEGO BILLBOARD LAS VEGAS BILLBOARD WILMINGTON BILLBOARD AUSTIN BILLBOARD TAMPA BILLBOARD MEMPHIS BILLBOARD DETROIT BILLBOARD SAN JOSE BILLBOARD BOSTON BILLBOARD SEATTLE BILLBOARD KANSAS CITY BILLBOARD CLEVELAND
Join the many outdoor advertisers connecting with a desirable audience in northern California. Contact us today to discuss the best locations for your next OOH advertising campaign.