[6] In pre-colonial times, it was named Pandurucan by the indigenous Mangyans after the local river, before later renamed for its patron saint, St. Joseph, the husband of Mary.

Historical records show that in the 14th century, Chinese traders anchored to trade at the shores of Mangarin, the oldest settlement in the southern portion of Occidental Mindoro.

Its name was derived from the word “Mandarin”, an official Chinese Palace, the remains of which can still be found in the old barrio of Mangarin.

When the Spanish took possession of the Island in the 18th century, the first site of the Presidencia was built in sitio of Sinaoga,[7][8][9] on the western side of Barrio Santa Teresa, now part of the municipality of Magsaysay.

On May 1, 1910,[11] Pandurucan, which was renamed San Jose, became the seat of the Civil Government with Don German Ramirez as its first appointed leader up to 1915.

When the Japanese Imperial Forces occupied the town, Bonifacio Gomez was appointed as Mayor from 1941 to 1942, followed by Pedro Cuden, 1942–1943 and finally Isabelo Abeleda, in 1944 until 1946.

With encouragement from the national government, migration into Mindoro in the years after World War II boosted population growth and spurred development.

The Philippine Sugar Mill plantation in the northern Barangay Central helped San Jose become the center of commerce in those years.

The majority of the population consists of a mix of migrants of different ethnolinguistic groups from nearby provinces, namely: Tagalogs, Bicolanos, Visayans, Kapampangans, Pangasinans and Ilocanos.

[25] Poverty Incidence of San Jose Source: Philippine Statistics Authority[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] The municipality has diverse economic activities.

Aquaculture is well-developed in San Jose which is known for its export quality lapu-lapu, bangus (milkfish), and sugpo (prawn).

San Jose has a large number of agricultural support facilities such as rice mills, warehouses, solar dryers, and the like.

Her creations include hand-beaded Pakudos, necklace, cross stitch, fashion accessory, souvenir, key chains, embroidered wallets, apparels, accessories, seashells, coconut shells and handwoven Ramit textile woven on a backstrap loom.

[34] Economic growth is likely to rise in the next decade with the influx of business interests, along with planned power and water supply improvements.

The town is served by the San Jose Airport via Cebu Pacific with regular scheduled flights to Manila.

A new route was opened by Philippine Airlines connecting the town to Clark International Airport in Pampanga, with five regular weekly flight schedules.