Side-by-side distribution
Frontend Engineer
$160,950
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 32.1%
- Live roles
- 1,339
QA Engineer
$131,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 37.4%
- Live roles
- 5,094
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Frontend Engineer ($400k - $500k salary)
Staff/Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Staff/Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Software Engineer, Frontend
Frontend Software Engineer, ChatGPT Space
Frontend Software Engineer, Codex App
Principal Frontend AI Engineer - Cortex Code
Senior / Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Principal Frontend Software Engineer - Discovery
Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Highest-paying jobs
Senior QA Engineer
ATE Test Development Engineer
Test Engineer, System-Level Test (SLT)
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Infrastructure)
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Connectors)
Staff Software Development Engineer in Test (Graph Database)
Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics
Senior Principal, Solution Test & Automation Engineer
Principal Software Test Engineer - Solution Engineering – Customer Solution Validation
Senior/Staff Design for Test Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CACI
|
$137,075 | 18 |
Air Apps
|
$58,701 | 11 |
Sift Stack, Inc.
|
$205,000 | 9 |
GDIT
|
$155,000 | 9 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$113,700 | 9 |
|
Harvey
|
$241,700 | 8 |
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 7 |
|
Roblox
|
$268,610 | 6 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$123,000 | 158 |
Anduril Industries
|
$150,000 | 147 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 89 |
Blue Origin
|
$145,228 | 80 |
|
CACI
|
$116,650 | 43 |
|
Air Apps
|
$59,402 | 43 |
Relativity Space
|
$155,000 | 33 |
SpaceX
|
$117,500 | 33 |
Frontend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $208,750 | 66 |
| San Francisco | $205,000 | 67 |
| Boston | $200,000 | 8 |
| Seattle | $199,000 | 16 |
| Austin | $187,500 | 5 |
| Chicago | $155,600 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $134,531 | 4 |
| Paris | $130,094 | 3 |
| Denver | $127,250 | 5 |
| Berlin | $112,040 | 3 |
QA Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $167,500 | 53 |
| San Francisco | $162,500 | 60 |
| Austin | $156,000 | 18 |
| Denver | $146,614 | 30 |
| Atlanta | $146,500 | 21 |
| Seattle | $145,228 | 87 |
| New York | $145,000 | 21 |
| Boston | $136,100 | 16 |
| Chicago | $129,000 | 17 |
| Toronto | $98,510 | 31 |
Frontend Engineer vs QA Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Frontend Engineer is $160,950 per year (typically $122,500–$202,483), versus $131,000 for QA Engineer ($105,397–$161,953). That puts Frontend Engineer about 23% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Frontend 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.