No casualties or damage were reported in the three countries.
The tremor hit at 8:53 pm (0253 GMT) with its epicenter eight kilometers (five miles) southeast of Jalapa city, at a depth of 265.5 kilometres, according to the USGS.
The seismological institute in El Salvador recorded the quake at a magnitude of 5.9 while that of Nicaragua registered it at 5.2-magnitude.
Civil protection authorities of the three Central American countries reported no casualties or damage to infrastructure.
Central America is on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast area of intense tectonic activity that runs along the west coast of the Americas and across the Pacific basin.