Software Developers vs Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers
Side-by-side H-1B prevailing-wage comparison using the same DOL LCA data that drives every page on H1B Report. Quartiles, hiring geography, top sponsors and yearly wage drift.
Key metrics
Wage figures are offered annual wage; volume is total LCA count.
| Metric | Software Developers | Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers |
|---|---|---|
| Median wage | $102,690▲ | $69,264 |
| P25 wage | $84,300▲ | $60,528 |
| P75 wage | $131,000▲ | $77,564 |
| Wage spread (P75 − P25) | $46,700 | $17,036 |
| Total filings | 2,843,747▲ | 6,552 |
| Wage samples | 2,838,792 | 6,546 |
| Rank | #1▲ | #92 |
Median wage by year
Year-over-year drift of the typical offered wage.
Software Developers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY2010 | $80k |
| FY2011 | $80k |
| FY2012 | $81k |
| FY2013 | $82k |
| FY2014 | $82k |
| FY2015 | $82k |
| FY2016 | $84k |
| FY2017 | $90k |
| FY2018 | $93k |
| FY2019 | $96k |
| FY2020 | $103k |
| FY2021 | $112k |
| FY2022 | $115k |
| FY2023 | $120k |
| FY2024 | $124k |
| FY2025 | $133k |
| FY2026 | $140k |
Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers
| Period | Value |
|---|---|
| FY2010 | $69k |
| FY2011 | $75k |
| FY2012 | $64k |
| FY2013 | $63k |
| FY2014 | $64k |
| FY2015 | $64k |
| FY2016 | $69k |
| FY2017 | $72k |
| FY2018 | $75k |
| FY2019 | $76k |
| FY2020 | $75k |
| FY2021 | $74k |
| FY2022 | $83k |
| FY2023 | $88k |
| FY2024 | $99k |
| FY2025 | $101k |
| FY2026 | $102k |
Top 5 hiring states — Software Developers
Top 5 sponsors — Software Developers
- 1Google LLC48,523
- 2Microsoft Corporation41,348
- 3COGNIZANT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS US CORP37,162
- 4TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED24,314
- 5AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC (VA)20,300
Top 5 sponsors — Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers
Swap an entity
Replace either occupation above without losing the comparison. 2-way for now; 3+ comparison coming soon.
Swap A: Software Developers
Swap B: Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers
Or browse the full occupation index.