QA Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 2,522 certified H-1B filings in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Cupertino, Palo Alto.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $111,565 |
| 25th | $130,000 |
| 50th (median) | $152,973 |
| 75th | $180,000 |
| 90th | $201,053 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $125,000 | $109,554 | $144,955 | 664 |
| FY2021 | $133,557 | $110,927 | $151,173 | 657 |
| FY2022 | $138,590 | $116,043 | $159,546 | 941 |
| FY2023 | $139,707 | $113,500 | $164,050 | 1,204 |
| FY2024 | $148,639 | $133,432 | $174,857 | 1,153 |
| FY2025 | $152,599 | $133,432 | $179,394 | 1,441 |
| FY2026 | $154,876 | $129,792 | $184,668 | 1,081 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median QA Engineer salary of $152,973 is worth about $138,500 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Jose = 110.4).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the San Jose, CA area earned a median of $166,530 in May 2025 (6,480 employed). The H-1B median here is $152,973, 8% lower.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.
Top employers filing
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | $165,422 | 223 |
| Amazon | $162,368 | 164 |
| ServiceNow | $151,305 | 84 |
| TikTok | $175,000 | 83 |
| $177,017 | 76 | |
| Nokia of America | $174,704 | 73 |
| NVIDIA | $194,875 | 65 |
| Fortinet | $154,177 | 52 |
| ByteDance | $162,000 | 45 |
| HCLTech | $131,612 | 44 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $103,000 | 370 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $133,500 | 889 |
| Senior · Level III | $166,000 | 458 |
| Expert · Level IV | $201,053 | 344 |
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 | $94,162 | $103,000 | 370 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $129,792 | $133,500 | 889 |
| Senior · Level III | $165,422 | $166,000 | 458 |
| Expert · Level IV | $201,053 | $201,053 | 344 |
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.