Expert QA Engineer salary in Seattle, WA
Based on 129 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, Issaquah, Kirkland.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $152,443 |
| 25th | $158,704 |
| 50th (median) | $164,640 |
| 75th | $188,182 |
| 90th | $208,000 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $117,125 | $113,443 | $119,281 | 14 |
| FY2021 | $119,475 | $117,125 | $123,200 | 21 |
| FY2022 | $140,000 | $119,475 | $161,883 | 30 |
| FY2023 | $150,000 | $135,100 | $164,900 | 47 |
| FY2024 | $157,650 | $141,070 | $171,675 | 62 |
| FY2025 | $160,350 | $152,744 | $185,795 | 60 |
| FY2026 | $166,400 | $161,400 | $189,258 | 69 |
Cost of living
Seattle's median expert QA Engineer salary of $164,640 is worth about $148,100 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Seattle = 111.1).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the Seattle, WA area earned a median of $129,690 in May 2025 (6,650 employed). The H-1B median here is $164,640, 27% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon | $164,600 | 21 |
| Meta | $198,000 | 10 |
| Apple | too few | 9 |
| AT&T | too few | 9 |
| Salesforce | too few | 6 |
| Liberty Mutual Technology Group | too few | 5 |
| ServiceNow | too few | 5 |
| NTT DATA | too few | 4 |
| Siemens Medical Solutions | too few | 4 |
| Accenture | too few | 3 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $85,140 | 152 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $109,000 | 615 |
| Senior · Level III | $139,330 | 236 |
| Expert · Level IV | $164,640 | 129 |
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 | $83,678 | $85,140 | 152 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $108,680 | $109,000 | 615 |
| Senior · Level III | $133,702 | $139,330 | 236 |
| Expert · Level IV | $158,704 | $164,640 | 129 |
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.