State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Validation Engineer Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Validation Engineers is $102,440 a year ($49.25/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 11.0% through 2034, with about 25,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
SOC 17-2112Architecture and EngineeringLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $102,440
- Projected growth
- +11.0%
- Openings a year
- 25,200
- Typical education
- Bachelor's
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Corporate Quality Engineer, Product Quality Engineer, Quality Assurance Engineer, Quality Engineer, Quality Management Systems Engineer, Reliability Engineer.
How much do Validation Engineers make?
10th percentile$74,370
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$83,600
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$102,440
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$129,250
Upper quartile
90th percentile$159,860
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $102,440 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $49.25/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $109,900 |
| People employed | 365,740 |
Versus all US occupations
At $102,440, Validation Engineers earn 101% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $51,460 a year.
Versus architecture and engineering occupations
The median is typical for the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $102,440.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $159,860 or more while the bottom 10% earn $74,370, a gap of 2.1×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 80% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Alaska pays the most at $156,510, and still leads at $152,903 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Validation Engineers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $156,510 | $152,903 | 220 |
| Washington | $129,050 | $120,593 | 6,130 |
| Oregon | $128,290 | $124,118 | 5,810 |
| New Mexico | $128,090 | $138,908 | 1,140 |
| California | $124,600 | $112,536 | 32,680 |
| Hawaii | $123,800 | $112,596 | 50 |
| Louisiana | $122,920 | $139,354 | 1,710 |
| Wyoming | $122,070 | $131,696 | 240 |
| Delaware | $120,190 | $120,421 | 820 |
| Maryland | $119,930 | $114,264 | 3,900 |
Is Validation Engineer a growing career?
Validation Engineers11.0%
All US occupations3.1%
+11.0% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Validation Engineers to change 11.0% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.5× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 38,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 25,200 openings are projected each year, 7.2% of the 351,100 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Industrial engineers focus on reducing internal costs, making their work valuable in manufacturing and other industries, such as consulting and engineering services and research and development firms. As more companies look to lower costs, demand is expected to increase for industrial engineers to optimize production processes, manage supply chains and logistics, and provide expertise on automation.
How to become a Validation Engineer
Industrial engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering or a related field, such as mechanical or electrical engineering.
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Medium preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as validation engineers.
- Bachelor's Degree90.0%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)5.0%
- Master's Degree5.0%
What does a Validation Engineer do?
Design or plan protocols for equipment or processes to produce products meeting internal and external purity, safety, and quality requirements.
Industrial engineers devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. They assess workers, quality control, logistics, and other factors involved in coordinating production.
Day-to-day tasks
- Study product characteristics or customer requirements to determine validation objectives and standards.
- Analyze validation test data to determine whether systems or processes have met validation criteria or to identify root causes of production problems.
- Develop validation master plans, process flow diagrams, test cases, or standard operating procedures.
- Prepare detailed reports or design statements, based on results of validation and qualification tests or reviews of procedures and protocols.
- Conduct validation or qualification tests of new or existing processes, equipment, or software in accordance with internal protocols or external standards.
- Prepare, maintain, or review validation and compliance documentation, such as engineering change notices, schematics, or protocols.
- Recommend resolution of identified deviations from established product or process standards.
- Design validation study features, such as sampling, testing, or analytical methodologies.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where validation engineers work
| Transportation equipment manufacturing | 15% |
|---|---|
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 14% |
| Computer and electronic product manufacturing | 12% |
| Machinery manufacturing | 8% |
| Fabricated metal product manufacturing | 6% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1/5
- Writing4.0/5
- Speaking4.0/5
- Critical Thinking4.0/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Science3.8/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
Transferable skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.8/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.1/5
- Operations Monitoring3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1/5
- Systems Analysis3.1/5
- Systems Evaluation3.1/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Operations Analysis3.0/5
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Application server software · in demand
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Cloud-based management software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Configuration management software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Validation Engineer?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.8
Investigativeprimary5.6
Artistic1.5
Social1.4
Enterprising2.0
Conventionalprimary5.1
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Validation Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Validation Engineers make?
Validation Engineers earn a median of $102,440 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 101% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $49.25/hr. The middle half earn between $83,600 and $129,250. The top 10% earn $159,860 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Validation Engineer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Validation Engineers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 90.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Validation Engineer a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 11.0% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 25,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Validation Engineer do?
Industrial engineers devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. A core O*NET task: study product characteristics or customer requirements to determine validation objectives and standards. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Application server software, Business intelligence and data analysis software.
Which states pay Validation Engineers the most?
The highest state medians for Validation Engineers are Alaska ($156,510), Washington ($129,050), Oregon ($128,290) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Validation Engineer?
O*NET scores Validation Engineers highest on the Investigative, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.