Mid-level QA Engineer salary in San Jose, CA
Based on 889 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II 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 | $129,792 |
| 25th | $130,000 |
| 50th (median) | $133,500 |
| 75th | $150,536 |
| 90th | $171,009 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $110,120 | $109,554 | $128,426 | 368 |
| FY2021 | $116,043 | $110,926 | $130,894 | 272 |
| FY2022 | $116,100 | $116,043 | $135,000 | 396 |
| FY2023 | $119,045 | $113,110 | $141,107 | 446 |
| FY2024 | $141,108 | $141,107 | $157,599 | 401 |
| FY2025 | $134,992 | $133,432 | $155,000 | 503 |
| FY2026 | $132,020 | $129,792 | $147,400 | 386 |
Cost of living
San Jose's median mid-level QA Engineer salary of $133,500 is worth about $120,900 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 $133,500, 20% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $159,750 | 86 |
| $166,000 | 35 | |
| Nokia of America | $148,000 | 31 |
| HCLTech | $133,432 | 29 |
| Apple | $144,600 | 28 |
| TikTok | $144,000 | 27 |
| Etouch Systems | $130,000 | 23 |
| Tesla | $152,000 | 21 |
| Juniper Networks | $133,432 | 17 |
| IBM | $158,048 | 15 |
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.