Expert QA Engineer salary in Philadelphia, PA
Based on 124 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Wilmington, Newark, Malvern, Oaks, Mount Laurel.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $120,120 |
| 25th | $123,864 |
| 50th (median) | $126,316 |
| 75th | $146,113 |
| 90th | $159,387 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $114,379 | $110,469 | $121,729 | 10 |
| FY2021 | $114,400 | $114,379 | $120,000 | 17 |
| FY2022 | $120,000 | $119,122 | $126,000 | 27 |
| FY2023 | $120,000 | $108,555 | $130,000 | 53 |
| FY2024 | $120,200 | $115,086 | $132,225 | 67 |
| FY2025 | $125,591 | $120,120 | $145,017 | 67 |
| FY2026 | $129,022 | $123,864 | $147,000 | 57 |
Cost of living
Philadelphia's median expert QA Engineer salary of $126,316 is worth about $123,200 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Philadelphia = 102.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the Philadelphia, PA area earned a median of $102,740 in May 2025 (2,650 employed). The H-1B median here is $126,316, 23% higher.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Comcast | $120,120 | 18 |
| JPMorgan Chase | $145,900 | 11 |
| Cognizant | too few | 8 |
| NTT DATA | too few | 8 |
| Accenture | too few | 6 |
| IBM | too few | 6 |
| Envestnet Financial Technologies | too few | 3 |
| TMNA Services | too few | 3 |
| Boomi L.P. | too few | 2 |
| Capgemini America | too few | 2 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $70,720 | 66 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $87,360 | 396 |
| Senior · Level III | $105,602 | 156 |
| Expert · Level IV | $126,316 | 124 |
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 | $69,098 | $70,720 | 66 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $87,360 | $87,360 | 396 |
| Senior · Level III | $105,602 | $105,602 | 156 |
| Expert · Level IV | $123,864 | $126,316 | 124 |
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.