Validation Engineer salary in San Diego, CA
Based on 77 certified H-1B filings in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes La Jolla, Chula Vista, Carlsbad, El Cajon, Solana Beach.
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $97,583 |
| 25th | $117,750 |
| 50th (median) | $132,000 |
| 75th | $155,000 |
| 90th | $166,600 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $93,000 | $79,040 | $112,133 | 65 |
| FY2021 | $95,290 | $79,040 | $118,747 | 64 |
| FY2022 | $100,555 | $87,520 | $123,906 | 102 |
| FY2023 | $114,317 | $95,339 | $128,350 | 34 |
| FY2024 | $129,625 | $96,741 | $138,174 | 29 |
| FY2025 | $129,625 | $115,846 | $140,321 | 50 |
| FY2026 | $155,000 | $117,750 | $155,000 | 27 |
Cost of living
San Diego's median Validation Engineer salary of $132,000 is worth about $118,000 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Diego = 111.9).
Compared with all workers here
All Validation Engineers in the San Diego, CA area earned a median of $132,790 in May 2025 (3,570 employed). The H-1B median here is $132,000, 1% 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 | $139,500 | 11 |
| Assured Robot Intelligence | $155,000 | 10 |
| Asml | too few | 8 |
| Cymer | too few | 8 |
| Illumina | too few | 5 |
| Dexcom | too few | 4 |
| Brain | too few | 3 |
| Alliance for Energy Innovation | too few | 2 |
| Comma.ai | too few | 2 |
| Geekplus America | too few | 2 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | too few | 2 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $121,000 | 31 |
| Senior · Level III | $134,800 | 25 |
| Expert · Level IV | $166,600 | 11 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-level · Level II | $102,835 | $121,000 | 31 |
| Senior · Level III | $124,030 | $134,800 | 25 |
| Expert · Level IV | $145,205 | $166,600 | 11 |
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.