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Validation engineer salary
Average validation engineer salary
$82,004
Average Validation Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a validation engineer is $82,004 annually. This figure represents a competitive wage in the engineering sector, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in quality assurance and product validation. Salaries can vary based on several factors, including experience level, geographic location, and the specific industry.
Where Can a Validation Engineer Earn More?
Validation engineers in states like California and New York typically earn higher salaries, with opportunities for advancement in metropolitan areas. Examining salary ranges across various states can help aspiring engineers target lucrative job markets.
Validation Engineer Salaries by Experience Level
Entry-level validation engineers can expect to earn significantly less than those with several years of experience. As professionals gain expertise and take on more responsibilities, their earning potential increases, making this field a promising career choice for those interested in engineering.
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Where can a Validation Engineer earn more?
Validation engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level validation engineer | $59,900 | $28.77 |
| Mid-level validation engineer | $84,600 | $40.66 |
| Senior-level validation engineer | $103,000 | $49.64 |
Validation engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average validation engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for validation engineers are California, Arizona, and Texas. The lowest average validation engineer salary states are South Dakota, Nebraska, and Hawaii.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for validation engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $92,434 | $44.44 |
| 2 | California | $97,363 | $46.81 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $90,415 | $43.47 |
| 4 | Texas | $90,720 | $43.62 |
| 5 | Maryland | $90,354 | $43.44 |
| 6 | Colorado | $85,278 | $41.00 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $83,871 | $40.32 |
| 8 | Vermont | $87,436 | $42.04 |
| 9 | Washington | $83,991 | $40.38 |
| 10 | Virginia | $83,484 | $40.14 |
| 11 | Alabama | $80,109 | $38.51 |
| 12 | Idaho | $85,302 | $41.01 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $84,266 | $40.51 |
| 14 | Nevada | $86,816 | $41.74 |
| 15 | New Jersey | $86,913 | $41.79 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $86,375 | $41.53 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $78,053 | $37.53 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $75,974 | $36.53 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $75,263 | $36.18 |
| 20 | Maine | $80,978 | $38.93 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $76,936 | $36.99 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $78,979 | $37.97 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $76,475 | $36.77 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $76,804 | $36.92 |
| 25 | Michigan | $72,746 | $34.97 |
| 26 | Ohio | $74,340 | $35.74 |
| 27 | Delaware | $75,043 | $36.08 |
| 28 | Illinois | $76,804 | $36.92 |
| 29 | Oregon | $73,666 | $35.42 |
| 30 | Florida | $74,265 | $35.70 |
| 31 | Utah | $71,745 | $34.49 |
| 32 | New York | $75,516 | $36.31 |
| 33 | North Dakota | $74,399 | $35.77 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $72,548 | $34.88 |
| 35 | Georgia | $71,999 | $34.61 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $69,691 | $33.51 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $67,890 | $32.64 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $71,095 | $34.18 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $63,546 | $30.55 |
| 40 | Alaska | $66,276 | $31.86 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $63,153 | $30.36 |
| 42 | Iowa | $64,932 | $31.22 |
| 43 | Indiana | $56,307 | $27.07 |
| 44 | Missouri | $66,425 | $31.94 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $64,241 | $30.89 |
| 46 | Montana | $64,422 | $30.97 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $67,060 | $32.24 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $64,284 | $30.91 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $63,659 | $30.61 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $56,381 | $27.11 |
| 51 | Kansas | $54,774 | $26.33 |
Highest paying cities for validation engineers
The highest-paying cities for validation engineers are Cupertino, CA, Austin, TX, and Milford, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $105,249 | $50.60 |
| 2 | Austin, TX | $92,724 | $44.58 |
| 3 | Milford, MA | $90,547 | $43.53 |
| 4 | Piscataway, NJ | $86,876 | $41.77 |
| 5 | Boulder, CO | $85,332 | $41.02 |
| 6 | Waukegan, IL | $77,502 | $37.26 |
| 7 | Bloomington, MN | $76,900 | $36.97 |
| 8 | Durham, NC | $75,903 | $36.49 |
| 9 | Troy, NY | $75,229 | $36.17 |
| 10 | Columbus, OH | $73,918 | $35.54 |
| 11 | Hillsboro, OR | $73,235 | $35.21 |
| 12 | Warren, MI | $72,926 | $35.06 |
| 13 | Indianapolis, IN | $56,056 | $26.95 |
Validation engineer salary details
A validation engineer's salary ranges from $62,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $107,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a validation engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| 75th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| Average | $82,004 | $6,834 | $39 |
| 25th Percentile | $71,000 | $5,917 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $62,000 | $5,167 | $30 |
Highest paying validation engineer jobs
The highest paying types of validation engineers are senior validation engineer, senior validation specialist, and system validation engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Validation Analyst | $84,626 | $7,052 | $40.69 | 29,657 |
| System Validation Engineer | $92,322 | $7,693 | $44.39 | 25,362 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for validation engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring validation engineers now:
Which companies pay validation engineers the most?
Validation engineer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average validation engineer salary at companies like Google and Microsoft are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $130,283 | $62.64 |
| 2 | Apple | $125,255 | $60.22 |
| 3 | $123,011 | $59.14 | |
| 4 | Microsoft | $116,686 | $56.10 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | $111,455 | $53.58 |
| 6 | Cisco | $109,568 | $52.68 |
| 7 | Zoox | $108,395 | $52.11 |
| 8 | Cruise Automation | $106,401 | $51.15 |
| 9 | Western Digital | $106,255 | $51.08 |
| 10 | Texas Instruments | $106,182 | $51.05 |
| 11 | Varian Medical Systems | $105,380 | $50.66 |
| 12 | Neuralink IT Solutions | $105,340 | $50.64 |
| 13 | Intuitive Surgical | $104,795 | $50.38 |
| 14 | Genentech | $104,603 | $50.29 |
| 15 | Biogen | $104,330 | $50.16 |
| 16 | AbbVie | $103,825 | $49.92 |
| 17 | Novartis | $103,634 | $49.82 |
| 18 | Renesas Electronics | $103,505 | $49.76 |
| 19 | Novo Nordisk | $103,367 | $49.70 |
| 20 | Amd | $103,090 | $49.56 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Validation Engineer salary by industry
The average validation engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average validation engineer salary in the technology industry is $91,160, the highest of any industry.
- The average validation engineer salary in the finance industry is $89,130.
- Validation engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $83,289, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for validation engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $91,160 | $43.83 |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical | $89,130 | $42.85 |
| 3 | Health Care | $86,475 | $41.57 |
| 4 | Automotive | $86,156 | $41.42 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $83,289 | $40.04 |
High paying validation engineer jobs
Validation engineer salary trends
The average validation engineer salary has risen by $10,154 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average validation engineer earned $71,850 annually, but today, they earn $82,004 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for validation engineers over the last decade.
Compare validation engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average validation engineer salary over time
Compare validation engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Validation engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $82,000 | $39.42 | +4.2% |
| 2024 | $78,600 | $37.77 | +2.1% |
| 2023 | $76,900 | $36.98 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | $77,100 | $37.09 | -0.1% |
| 2021 | $77,200 | $37.11 | +1.4% |
Recently added validation engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natera | Associate Commission, Qualification and Validation (CQV) Engineer | San Carlos, CA | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Pure Storage | Hardware Debug and Validation Engineer | Santa Clara, CA | 06/29/2025 | $145,000 |
| Redwood Materials | Design Validation Engineer, Energy Storage | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $112,250 |
| ZP Group | Analytical Validation Engineer | Downe, NJ | 06/29/2025 | $114,785 |
| Intel Corp | GPU Validation Engineer | Folsom, CA | 06/28/2025 | $161,230 |
| Belcan | Battery Test and Validation Engineer | Tustin, CA | 06/28/2025 | $103,807 |
| Just | Validation Engineer II-Site Based | Redmond, WA | 06/28/2025 | $79,800 |
| Cipla Ltd. | Validation Engineer | Central Islip, NY | 06/28/2025 | $75,000 |
| Cyprotex | Validation Engineer II-Site Based | Redmond, WA | 06/28/2025 | $79,800 |
| Colgate-Palmolive Company | Packaging Validation Engineer | Piscataway, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $107,000 |
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