Expert QA Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 344 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV 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 | $194,875 |
| 25th | $194,875 |
| 50th (median) | $201,053 |
| 75th | $212,353 |
| 90th | $235,607 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $171,248 | $163,530 | $176,446 | 47 |
| FY2021 | $172,900 | $167,876 | $187,833 | 92 |
| FY2022 | $178,656 | $168,834 | $195,000 | 128 |
| FY2023 | $170,000 | $164,050 | $188,133 | 210 |
| FY2024 | $226,325 | $194,875 | $227,000 | 45 |
| FY2025 | $195,000 | $194,875 | $212,000 | 185 |
| FY2026 | $201,053 | $201,053 | $212,874 | 159 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median expert QA Engineer salary of $201,053 is worth about $182,100 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 $201,053, 21% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | $201,053 | 59 |
| NVIDIA | $201,053 | 36 |
| Versa Networks | $201,053 | 16 |
| TikTok | $262,468 | 13 |
| Nokia of America | $230,025 | 13 |
| Nutanix | $194,875 | 12 |
| Ford | $201,053 | 10 |
| IBM | $222,330 | 10 |
| Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company | too few | 9 |
| Adobe | too few | 8 |
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.