The salary of a QA/Validation Engineer I in the United States varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, education level, marketing trend and company sizes.
As of March 01, 2025, the average annual salary for a QA/Validation Engineer I in the United States is $75,990. According to Salary.com, salaries can range from a low of $60,611 to a high of $88,351, with most professionals earning between $67,940 and $82,460.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $82,460 | $6,872 | $1,586 | $40 |
| Average | $75,990 | $6,333 | $1,461 | $37 |
| 25th Percentile | $67,940 | $5,662 | $1,307 | $33 |
An entry-level QA/Validation Engineer I with less than 1 year of experience earns about $74,457. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $75,241. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $76,671. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $76,957, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $77,148.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level QA/Validation Engineer I | $74,457 |
| Intermediate Level QA/Validation Engineer I | $75,241 |
| Senior Level QA/Validation Engineer I | $76,671 |
| Specialist Level QA/Validation Engineer I | $76,957 |
| Expert Level QA/Validation Engineer I | $77,148 |
| Entry Level | 2% |
| Mid Level | 1% |
| Senior Level | 1% |
| Top Level | 1% |
| Experienced | 2% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of March 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in QA/Validation Engineer I compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $66,167 in 2023 to approximately $66,532 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of QA/Validation Engineer I salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of QA/Validation Engineer I information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see QA/Validation Engineer I job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for QA/Validation Engineer I and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $75,990 | 68.6% | ||
| Bonus | $1,850 | 1.7% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $5,955 | 5.4% | ||
| 401K/403B | $3,269 | 3.0% | ||
| Disability | $1,557 | 1.4% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 7.5% | ||
| Pension | $4,203 | 3.8% | ||
| Time Off | $9,580 | 8.6% | ||
| Total Compensation | $110,757 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| No Diploma | 0.3% |
| High School | 8.8% |
| Associates | 8.8% |
| Bachelors | 59.6% |
| Masters | 21.7% |
| Doctorate | 0.8% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of QA/Validation Engineer I is $75,990. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of QA/Validation Engineer I is $37; the average weekly pay of QA/Validation Engineer I is $1,461; the average monthly pay of QA/Validation Engineer I is $6,333.
A QA/Validation Engineer I's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, a QA/Validation Engineer I earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of a QA/Validation Engineer I is $95,360.
The highest pay for QA/Validation Engineer I is $88,351.
The lowest pay for QA/Validation Engineer I is $60,611.
The QA/Validation Engineer I requires a bachelor's degree. Performs inspections and sets quality assurance testing models for analysis of raw materials, materials in process, and finished products. Being a QA/Validation Engineer I typically reports to a supervisor or manager. Working as a QA/Validation Engineer I typically requires 0-2 years of related experience. Works on projects/matters of limited complexity in a support role. Work is closely managed.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Analysis: Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Software Development: 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: Using an agile process for managing the lifecycle development of software products.
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.
