QA/Validation Engineer I Salary in the United States
How much does a QA/Validation Engineer I make in the United States?
As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a QA/Validation Engineer I in the United States is $75,690 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.
However, a QA/Validation Engineer I's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $86,312
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $69,120 to $81,250
Key Factors That Influence QA/Validation Engineer I Salaries
A QA/Validation Engineer I's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects QA/Validation Engineer Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a QA/Validation Engineer I's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do QA/Validation Engineer I Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract QA/Validation Engineer Is. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $95,460
San Francisco: $94,420
Oakland: $92,430
San Jose, CA$95,460
San Francisco, CA$94,420
Oakland, CA$92,430
New York, NY$87,140
Paramus, NJ$86,080
Queens Village, NY$86,080
Passaic, NJ$86,010
Bergenfield, NJ$86,000
Stamford, CT$85,830
Huntington, NY$85,800
Newark, NJ$85,240
Bridgeport, CT$85,080
Vallejo, CA$84,930
New Brunswick, NJ$84,900
Petaluma, CA$84,860
Middlesex, NJ$84,710
Somerset, NJ$84,660
Santa Cruz, CA$84,560
Boston, MA$84,100
Monterey, CA$83,840
Seattle, WA$83,660
Santa Rosa, CA$83,650
Los Angeles, CA$83,620
Juneau, AK$83,430
Washington, DC$83,340
Orange, CA$83,080
Santa Ana, CA$82,880
Long Beach, CA$82,800
Anaheim, CA$82,780
Anchorage, AK$82,750
Santa Maria, CA$82,520
Everett, WA$82,500
Danbury, CT$82,240
Bremerton, WA$82,130
Tacoma, WA$81,860
New Suffolk, NY$81,860
Sacramento, CA$81,840
Santa Barbara, CA$81,760
Trenton, NJ$81,670
San Diego, CA$81,670
Brockton, MA$81,590
Fairbanks, AK$81,400
Lompoc, CA$81,210
Lowell, MA$81,150
Ventura, CA$81,140
Nashua, NH$81,120
Stockton, CA$81,110
Modesto, CA$80,560
Poughkeepsie, NY$80,390
Kennewick, WA$80,250
Olympia, WA$80,250
New Haven, CT$80,220
Lawrence, MA$79,950
Hartford, CT$79,870
Riverside, CA$79,860
New Bedford, MA$79,780
Richland, WA$79,780
Bakersfield, CA$79,670
Atlantic City, NJ$79,640
San Bernardino, CA$79,640
New Britain, CT$79,640
New London, CT$79,610
Norwich, CT$79,580
Portsmouth, NH$79,570
Boulder, CO$79,410
Portland, OR$79,300
Worcester, MA$79,300
Minneapolis, MN$79,060
Philadelphia, PA$78,960
Honolulu, HI$78,710
Saint Paul, MN$78,670
Vineland, NJ$78,650
Providence, RI$78,430
Chicago, IL$78,210
Bellingham, WA$78,120
Springfield, MA$78,060
Baltimore, MD$78,040
Chico, CA$77,850
Pittsfield, MA$77,650
Manchester, NH$77,500
Spokane, WA$77,170
Denver, CO$77,160
Albany, NY$76,810
Troy, NY$76,780
Nassau, NY$76,690
Schenectady, NY$76,620
Wilmington, DE$76,560
Burlington, VT$76,450
Salem, OR$76,420
Portland, ME$76,190
Yakima, WA$76,110
Rochester, MN$75,880
Reno, NV$75,840
Fresno, CA$75,840
Milwaukee, WI$75,770
Detroit, MI$75,690
Ann Arbor, MI$75,680
Allentown, PA$75,670
Colorado Springs, CO$75,540
Syracuse, NY$75,500
Carson City, NV$75,500
Houston, TX$75,400
Eugene, OR$75,360
Gary, IN$75,270
Springfield, OR$75,210
Bismarck, ND$75,190
Galveston, TX$75,140
Medford, OR$75,030
Fort Collins, CO$75,000
Concord, NH$74,960
Austin, TX$74,940
Mesa, AZ$74,780
Reading, PA$74,770
Phoenix, AZ$74,760
Dallas, TX$74,740
Saint Cloud, MN$74,670
Madison, WI$74,570
Utica, NY$74,360
Rochester, NY$74,240
Des Moines, IA$74,230
Raleigh, NC$74,230
Atlanta, GA$74,110
Battle Creek, MI$74,090
Salt Lake City, UT$74,070
Lancaster, PA$73,950
Harrisburg, PA$73,850
Kansas City, MO$73,770
Champaign, IL$73,760
Kansas City, KS$73,760
Fort Worth, TX$73,750
Columbus, OH$73,740
Boca Raton, FL$73,720
Pittsburgh, PA$73,690
Richmond, VA$73,660
Indianapolis, IN$73,640
Cleveland, OH$73,640
Las Vegas, NV$73,540
Cincinnati, OH$73,540
Petersburg, VA$73,430
Huntsville, AL$73,320
Lansing, MI$73,270
Lebanon, PA$73,260
Pueblo, CO$73,250
Appleton, WI$73,230
Buffalo, NY$73,200
Dayton, OH$73,170
Racine, WI$73,160
Charlotte, NC$73,150
Saint Louis, MO$73,130
York, PA$73,080
Elkhart, IN$73,080
Gastonia, NC$73,070
Billings, MT$73,050
Beaumont, TX$73,030
Lorain, OH$73,010
Benton Harbor, MI$73,000
Toledo, OH$72,980
Binghamton, NY$72,950
Rock Hill, SC$72,940
Rockford, IL$72,900
Springfield, IL$72,870
Elyria, OH$72,860
Fargo, ND$72,860
Flagstaff, AZ$72,810
Fort Lauderdale, FL$72,760
Duluth, MN$72,720
Miami, FL$72,720
Cheyenne, WY$72,670
Grand Forks, ND$72,670
Bangor, ME$72,500
Cedar Rapids, IA$72,420
Durham, NC$72,380
Louisville, KY$72,380
Grand Rapids, MI$72,360
Hialeah, FL$72,360
Casper, WY$72,250
Scranton, PA$72,160
New Orleans, LA$72,140
Virginia Beach, VA$72,130
Akron, OH$72,090
Peoria, IL$71,990
Sarasota, FL$71,980
Nashville, TN$71,920
Omaha, NE$71,920
Green Bay, WI$71,920
Baton Rouge, LA$71,890
Charleston, SC$71,870
Jamestown, NY$71,830
Davenport, IA$71,830
Tucson, AZ$71,800
Saint Petersburg, FL$71,750
Tampa, FL$71,740
Evansville, IN$71,690
Port Arthur, TX$71,690
Bradenton, FL$71,660
Santa Fe, NM$71,520
Orlando, FL$71,390
Clearwater, FL$71,360
Canton, OH$71,210
La Crosse, WI$71,210
Albuquerque, NM$71,160
Newport News, VA$71,150
High Point, NC$71,130
Ogden, UT$71,100
Corpus Christi, TX$71,040
Norfolk, VA$70,990
Laramie, WY$70,990
Rock Island, IL$70,950
Jacksonville, FL$70,930
Saginaw, MI$70,930
Salisbury, NC$70,910
Boise, ID$70,900
Moline, IL$70,860
Fort Myers, FL$70,830
Memphis, TN$70,820
Tulsa, OK$70,780
Waterloo, IA$70,740
Spartanburg, SC$70,660
Lincoln, NE$70,620
Fort Wayne, IN$70,610
Provo, UT$70,600
Cedar Falls, IA$70,510
San Antonio, TX$70,480
Greensboro, NC$70,450
South Bend, IN$70,440
Savannah, GA$70,360
Muskegon, MI$70,330
Birmingham, AL$70,320
Winston Salem, NC$70,280
Lake Charles, LA$70,100
Anderson, IN$70,090
Lexington, KY$70,060
Augusta, GA$70,040
Greenville, SC$70,040
Lima, OH$69,980
Wichita, KS$69,970
Tuscaloosa, AL$69,970
Columbia, SC$69,900
Springfield, OH$69,890
Asheville, NC$69,770
Bloomington, IN$69,710
Knoxville, TN$69,440
Shreveport, LA$69,430
Wilmington, NC$69,340
Roanoke, VA$69,340
Topeka, KS$69,200
Frankfort, KY$69,190
Oklahoma City, OK$69,140
Chillicothe, OH$69,110
Longview, TX$69,100
Melbourne, FL$69,090
Sioux Falls, SD$68,970
Mobile, AL$68,970
Terre Haute, IN$68,940
Altoona, PA$68,890
Amarillo, TX$68,840
Killeen, TX$68,810
Fayetteville, AR$68,750
Chattanooga, TN$68,730
Sioux City, IA$68,660
Idaho Falls, ID$68,650
Lynchburg, VA$68,590
Gainesville, FL$68,490
Portsmouth, OH$68,450
Little Rock, AR$68,440
Lafayette, LA$68,410
Youngstown, OH$68,410
Daytona Beach, FL$68,360
Clarksville, TN$68,350
Pensacola, FL$68,340
Temple, TX$68,340
Hopkinsville, KY$68,120
Erie, PA$68,100
Florence, SC$68,070
Charleston, WV$67,950
Great Falls, MT$67,910
Macon, GA$67,810
Tallahassee, FL$67,800
Fayetteville, NC$67,780
Waco, TX$67,770
Helena, MT$67,720
Pine Bluff, AR$67,690
Vincennes, IN$67,600
Lubbock, TX$67,570
Alamogordo, NM$67,520
Twin Falls, ID$67,450
Rapid City, SD$67,430
Greenville, MS$67,290
Huntington, WV$67,290
Jackson, MS$67,290
Parkersburg, WV$67,210
Montgomery, AL$67,190
Wichita Falls, TX$67,120
Springfield, MO$67,120
Biloxi, MS$67,080
Monroe, LA$67,010
Johnstown, PA$66,950
Sumter, SC$66,920
Columbus, GA$66,910
Pascagoula, MS$66,770
Abilene, TX$66,770
Kingsport, TN$66,570
Albany, GA$66,570
Gulfport, MS$66,550
Alexandria, LA$66,300
Fort Smith, AR$66,110
El Paso, TX$65,910
Las Cruces, NM$65,570
Harlingen, TX$65,380
Pocatello, ID$65,360
Florence, AL$65,260
Brownsville, TX$65,250
Mcallen, TX$65,090
Dothan, AL$64,980
Columbus, MS$64,540
Altus, OK$64,180
Lawton, OK$64,040
Pierre, SD$63,770
What Skills Can Increase a QA/Validation Engineer I's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Analysis (Mentioned in 4.09% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Software Development (Mentioned in 2.91% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
Scrum (Mentioned in 2.02% Job Postings): Using an agile process for managing the lifecycle development of software products.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a QA/Validation Engineer I's salary.
Scrum: Can increase your salary by up to 31%.
Software Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
QA/Validation Engineer I Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise
QA/Validation Engineer I salary potential scales significantly with company size.
Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $84,500.
While startup companies pay approximate $71,550.
QA/Validation Engineer I Salary by Company Size
Company Size
Employees
Average Salary
Startup
1~50
$71,550
Growth Stage
51~500
$75,655
Established
501~5000
$81,591
Enterprise
5000+
$84,500
QA/Validation Engineer I Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For QA/Validation Engineer I roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 35% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, QA/Validation Engineer positions in Telecom or Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view QA/Validation Engineer I as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a QA/Validation Engineer I
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services
$90,828
$44.0
20%
Pharmaceuticals
$90,828
$44.0
20%
Biotechnology
$87,044
$42.0
15%
Energy & Utilities
$83,259
$40.0
10%
Aerospace & Defense
$79,474
$38.0
5%
How Education impacts a QA/Validation Engineer I's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many QA/Validation Engineer Is enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a QA/Validation Engineer I with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$71,133
and $75,334).
QA/Validation Engineer I Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a QA/Validation Engineer I's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$69,120
Average$75,690/year
$81,250
$5,760
Average$6,308/month
$6,771
$1,329
Average$1,456/week
$1,563
$33
Average$36/hour
$39
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$81,250
$6,771
$1,563
$39
Average
$75,690
$6,308
$1,456
$36
25th Percentile
$69,120
$5,760
$1,329
$33
QA/Validation Engineer I Salary Growth & Career Path
For a QA/Validation Engineer I, the most direct path to higher earnings is advancing to the Intermediate Quality Assurance Engineer role.
This promotion typically comes with a significant pay increase, bringing the average annual salary to
$89,100 - a projected growth of
18%
over your current level.
Salaries of Jobs related to QA/Validation Engineer I
Salaries for a QA/Validation Engineer I can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary increased from $66,167 in 2023
to around $66,435 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of QA/Validation Engineer I salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of QA/Validation Engineer I Over Time
$???
$66,167
$66,532
$66,435
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$66,167
2024
$66,532
2025
$66,435
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for QA/Validation Engineer I
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for QA/Validation Engineer I
Here are companies hiring for QA/Validation Engineer I and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about QA/Validation Engineer I
1. What industry pays the highest salary for QA/Validation Engineer I?
The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for QA/Validation Engineer I roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
