Senior QA Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA
Based on 327 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Fremont, Pleasanton, Menlo Park, Foster City, Newark.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $135,741 |
| 25th | $138,445 |
| 50th (median) | $146,249 |
| 75th | $167,022 |
| 90th | $184,251 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $125,700 | $117,325 | $144,040 | 76 |
| FY2021 | $141,400 | $122,179 | $150,000 | 82 |
| FY2022 | $140,000 | $125,490 | $153,387 | 114 |
| FY2023 | $140,358 | $126,422 | $151,964 | 167 |
| FY2024 | $140,697 | $140,358 | $161,255 | 150 |
| FY2025 | $145,000 | $135,741 | $166,820 | 193 |
| FY2026 | $150,000 | $138,445 | $167,180 | 134 |
Cost of living
San Francisco's median senior QA Engineer salary of $146,249 is worth about $126,500 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Francisco = 115.6).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the San Francisco, CA area earned a median of $134,630 in May 2025 (5,880 employed). The H-1B median here is $146,249, 9% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce | $177,906 | 36 |
| Cognizant | $135,741 | 35 |
| Tesla | $172,000 | 17 |
| Lucid Motors | $135,741 | 14 |
| Meta | $191,500 | 12 |
| Accenture | $139,100 | 11 |
| Amazon | too few | 6 |
| Zoox | too few | 6 |
| C3.ai | too few | 5 |
| NTT DATA | too few | 4 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $89,513 | 142 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $115,000 | 514 |
| Senior · Level III | $146,249 | 327 |
| Expert · Level IV | $171,093 | 355 |
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 | $88,109 | $89,513 | 142 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $111,363 | $115,000 | 514 |
| Senior · Level III | $138,445 | $146,249 | 327 |
| Expert · Level IV | $163,613 | $171,093 | 355 |
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.