QA Engineer salary in San Francisco 2026
QA Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA — median (P50) $170,430 base from a US market band (thin LCA cell). P25 $129,168 is a typical floor; P90 $249,797 is the top of this cell. Not total compensation.
| P25 | Median (P50) | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $129,168 | $170,430 | $211,692 | $249,797 |
What P25, P50, P75 and P90 mean for QA Engineer in San Francisco
P50 is the median QA Engineer salary in San Francisco in this cell. Half of sample bases sit at or below $170,430.
P25 ($129,168) is a realistic floor for early-career or Level I LCA wages. P75 ($211,692) is a common negotiation target. P90 ($249,797) is the upper tail — not a typical offer.
Take-home vs QA Engineer base in CA
These figures are pre-tax base. Federal, FICA and CA wage tax change the check. Run the paycheck calculator for CA before you accept a cut versus a remote offer.
QA Engineer H-1B wages and nearby cities
No Certified LCA rows for QA Engineer in San Francisco in this mock — the band is a US market estimate so the URL is still useful.
Same title in other metros: Seattle median $150,670; Austin median $84,800; New York median $163,020; Boston median $148,200; Chicago median $135,850; Los Angeles median $145,730; Dallas median $82,400.
H-1B sponsors →QA Engineer in Seattle →QA Engineer in Austin →QA Engineer in New York →QA Engineer in Boston →QA Engineer in Chicago →Software Engineer in San Francisco →Data Scientist in San Francisco →Product Manager in San Francisco →DevOps Engineer in San Francisco →
Frequently asked questions
What is the median QA Engineer salary in San Francisco?
P50 is $170,430 base per year (a US market band (thin LCA cell)).
What is a typical QA Engineer salary range in San Francisco?
P25–P75 is $129,168–$211,692. P90 is $249,797.
Is this total compensation?
No. Base only. Equity and bonus are omitted.
Is this BLS or Levels.fyi?
No. Mock Certified LCA plus a market estimate when the cell is empty.
Can H-1B offers be below P25?
Yes, if prevailing wage and level allow it. Compare the LCA city on /h1b-sponsors.
Should I take a lower QA Engineer offer in San Francisco?
Model after-tax pay. Cost of housing in San Francisco is not in this table.
QA Engineer jobs in San Francisco
WhatJobs listings for this page — tap through to apply on the employer site.
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Senior DBA Engineer - Fuze Care Services
$125,600
TruePill · Minnesota
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Senior DBA Engineer - Fuze Care Services
$125,600
Fuze Health Inc. · Kentucky
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Service Sales Engineer, Plumbing
$87,600 – $131,400
ACCO Engineered Systems · San Francisco
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Sr. Site Reliability Engineer
$118,000 – $152,000
Early Warning · Scottsdale
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Staff Site Reliability Engineer
$235,000 – $275,000
Filevine · New York
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Senior Marketing Manager
$130,000-150,000/yr USD + bonus + equity #J-18,808-Ljbffr
Hilbert · San Francisco
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