Side-by-side distribution
Embedded Engineer
$182,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 48.6%
- Live roles
- 473
QA Engineer
$141,025
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 38.7%
- Live roles
- 2,168
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Engineer, Embedded Vehicle Software
Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Staff Embedded Security Engineer
Embedded SW Engineer
Firmware/ Embedded Systems Engineer
Senior Embedded Linux Engineer - Connectivity
Embedded Software Engineer - Access Control
Embedded Systems Engineer, Autonomous Vehicles - Federal
Senior Embedded Systems Engineer
Embedded Security Engineer
Highest-paying jobs
Senior QA Engineer
Senior QA Engineer, Platform
Autonomy & Perception Integration Engineer - Flight Test (R5441)
Senior/Staff Design for Test Engineer
Electrical Engineer, Actuator Test Infrastructure
Principal Electrical Engineer, Integration & Test
Hardware Engineer, Test
Software Engineer, Manufacturing Test Systems
Manufacturing Software Test Engineer
Manufacturing Electrical Test Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$201,250 | 22 |
SpaceX
|
$145,000 | 13 |
Silvus Technologies
|
$170,000 | 9 |
|
Verkada
|
$232,500 | 8 |
Applied Intuition
|
$196,000 | 7 |
TP-Link Systems Inc.
|
$152,500 | 6 |
Latitude AI
|
$200,000 | 5 |
| AX Axon | $183,300 | 5 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 117 |
Air Apps
|
$61,135 | 43 |
Relativity Space
|
$163,500 | 32 |
|
SpaceX
|
$113,750 | 25 |
Rocket Lab Corporation
|
$127,500 | 24 |
Vast
|
$160,444 | 16 |
PlayStation Global
|
$175,600 | 13 |
Astranis
|
$158,750 | 12 |
Embedded Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | $193,050 | 11 |
| San Francisco | $188,750 | 20 |
| Los Angeles | $181,500 | 16 |
| New York | $178,800 | 5 |
| Boston | $178,750 | 4 |
| Austin | $173,950 | 5 |
| Denver | $157,500 | 4 |
QA Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Austin | $210,655 | 9 |
| Seattle | $197,000 | 11 |
| New York | $190,000 | 18 |
| San Francisco | $182,500 | 51 |
| Atlanta | $159,000 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | $151,000 | 26 |
| Denver | $140,000 | 7 |
| Boston | $130,000 | 11 |
| Toronto | $107,500 | 15 |
| London | $71,321 | 8 |
Embedded Engineer vs QA Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Embedded Engineer is $182,500 per year (typically $152,500–$205,000), versus $141,025 for QA Engineer ($114,500–$171,406). That puts Embedded Engineer about 29% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Embedded Engineer and QA Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.