Senior QA Engineer salary in Chicago, IL
Based on 291 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Schaumburg, Naperville, Deerfield, Aurora, Lisle.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $99,237 |
| 25th | $102,600 |
| 50th (median) | $104,728 |
| 75th | $113,850 |
| 90th | $130,560 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $96,500 | $96,325 | $103,375 | 90 |
| FY2021 | $95,555 | $95,555 | $105,000 | 69 |
| FY2022 | $104,000 | $95,472 | $113,000 | 137 |
| FY2023 | $98,842 | $94,182 | $107,536 | 161 |
| FY2024 | $106,759 | $98,842 | $115,000 | 170 |
| FY2025 | $104,728 | $99,237 | $115,000 | 153 |
| FY2026 | $104,728 | $104,728 | $112,869 | 138 |
Cost of living
Chicago's median senior QA Engineer salary of $104,728 is worth about $101,100 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Chicago = 103.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the Chicago, IL area earned a median of $105,580 in May 2025 (5,010 employed). The H-1B median here is $104,728, 1% lower.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.
Employers filing at this level
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Cognizant | $104,728 | 91 |
| Capgemini America | $123,597 | 31 |
| GlobalLogic | too few | 7 |
| Photon Infotech | too few | 6 |
| Chicago Mercantile Exchange | too few | 5 |
| Health Care Service | too few | 5 |
| Valuelabs | too few | 5 |
| FedEx Dataworks | too few | 4 |
| Accenture | too few | 3 |
| HCLTech | too few | 3 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $71,427 | 102 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $88,088 | 584 |
| Senior · Level III | $104,728 | 291 |
| Expert · Level IV | $125,074 | 218 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Minimum H-1B salary by level
| Wage level | Prevailing wage (most common) | Median offered salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $71,427 | $71,427 | 102 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $82,368 | $88,088 | 584 |
| Senior · Level III | $104,728 | $104,728 | 291 |
| Expert · Level IV | $121,389 | $125,074 | 218 |
The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.