Senior QA Engineer salary in Washington, DC
Based on 165 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Mclean, Herndon, Reston, Bethesda, Arlington.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $120,557 |
| 25th | $123,340 |
| 50th (median) | $128,461 |
| 75th | $135,000 |
| 90th | $153,968 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $116,002 | $115,856 | $123,022 | 24 |
| FY2021 | $119,000 | $116,375 | $123,611 | 27 |
| FY2022 | $122,000 | $119,933 | $130,000 | 53 |
| FY2023 | $114,566 | $105,865 | $123,739 | 87 |
| FY2024 | $120,557 | $114,566 | $131,355 | 83 |
| FY2025 | $128,461 | $120,557 | $140,119 | 108 |
| FY2026 | $128,461 | $128,461 | $130,000 | 57 |
Cost of living
Washington's median senior QA Engineer salary of $128,461 is worth about $118,000 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Washington = 108.9).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the Washington, DC area earned a median of $126,350 in May 2025 (8,460 employed). The H-1B median here is $128,461, 2% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cognizant | $128,461 | 38 |
| Accenture | too few | 6 |
| REI Systems | too few | 6 |
| CGI | too few | 5 |
| Salesforce | too few | 4 |
| Appian | too few | 4 |
| Visa | too few | 3 |
| Hexaware Technologies | too few | 3 |
| R3 Technology | too few | 3 |
| Swift | 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 | $83,200 | 111 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $106,454 | 440 |
| Senior · Level III | $128,461 | 165 |
| Expert · Level IV | $150,467 | 98 |
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 | $81,910 | $83,200 | 111 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $101,234 | $106,454 | 440 |
| Senior · Level III | $128,461 | $128,461 | 165 |
| Expert · Level IV | $139,880 | $150,467 | 98 |
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.