QA Engineer salary in the United States
What employers are offering right now, from 87 live QA Engineer postings in the United States that publish a pay range. Updated October 2026.
Median
$170k
a year, base pay
Middle half
$139k–$200k
25th to 75th percentile
Highest posted
$425k
range midpoint
How the offers are spread
$58k
$96k
$134k
$172k
$210k
$248k
$286k
$324k
QA Engineer pay by level
| Level | Median | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Senior | $163k | 28 |
| Staff & principal | $193k | 10 |
QA Engineer pay by location
| Location | Median | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $200k | 9 |
| SF Bay Area | $189k | 46 |
| San Diego | $181k | 5 |
| San Francisco | $170k | 19 |
| Remote (US) | $145k | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $134k | 8 |
Top-paying companies for QA Engineer roles
| Company | Median | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | $272k | 5 |
| Cerebras | $213k | 2 |
| Zscaler | $208k | 2 |
| Coinbase | $202k | 3 |
| Zoox | $192k | 12 |
| Netskope | $182k | 2 |
| Senra Systems | $171k | 2 |
| Echo Neurotechnologies | $170k | 3 |
| Arbor Energy | $151k | 2 |
| Aechelon Technology | $141k | 2 |
| HelloFresh | $138k | 3 |
| Skyryse | $138k | 3 |
Highest-paying open QA Engineer jobs
All 136 open jobs →Manufacturing Quality Engineer, Data Center Power & Cooling
San Francisco, CA | New York City, NY $320k – $405k/yr
visa sponsorshipsqlpower birecruitingDirect from employer Aug 21
Manufacturing Quality Engineer – Datacenter Infrastructure
San Francisco Full-time $207k – $365k/yr
Direct from employer Aug 23
Component and Product Quality Engineer, Interconnects
San Francisco Full-time $207k – $365k/yr
networkingDirect from employer Feb 12
Mechanical Engineer, Dynamometer and Actuator Testing Infrastructure
San Francisco Full-time $225k – $318k/yr
Direct from employer Sep 10
Senior Director of Asset Quality Assurance
Boston, MA; New York, NY $235k – $307k/yr
sparkgcpagilerecruitingDirect from employer Jun 5
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QA Engineer salary: common questions
- What is the average QA Engineer salary in the United States?
- The median midpoint of 87 live QA Engineer postings in the United States is $170k a year. Half of them fall between $139k and $200k.
- How does QA Engineer pay change with seniority?
- senior postings $163k. Staff, principal and director roles usually pay more and often add equity.
- Which companies pay QA Engineer roles the most?
- Among companies with at least two postings, the highest medians are at OpenAI ($272k), Cerebras ($213k), Zscaler ($208k), Coinbase ($202k).
- Where do these numbers come from?
- From the pay ranges employers publish in their own job postings (required in states such as California, Colorado, New York, Washington and Illinois). We take the midpoint of each range, convert hourly pay at 2,080 hours a year, and update the figures daily as postings open and close. They show base pay, not bonus or equity.
Other salaries in the United States
- Engineering Manager · $263k
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- Data Scientist · $226k
- Software Engineer · $225k
- Product Manager · $223k
- Cybersecurity · $221k
- Mobile Developer · $218k
- Backend Developer · $215k
- Full Stack Developer · $215k
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- Legal & Compliance · $208k
- DevOps Engineer · $205k
- Frontend Developer · $202k
- Solutions Engineer · $200k
- Program Manager · $198k
- Product & UX Designer · $196k
- Hardware Engineer · $195k
- Marketing · $180k
- Sales · $171k
- Finance & Accounting · $170k
- Data Analyst · $165k
- HR & Recruiting · $165k
- Operations · $164k
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JobApplyPilot reads employers' own job postings. Pay shown is base salary from published ranges, not total compensation.