Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of quality assurance tester salary by state for the United States:
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Maryland has the highest quality assurance tester salary of $85,769
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Louisiana has the lowest quality assurance tester salary of $56,196
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The national average salary for quality assurance testers is $74,140
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The national hourly pay for quality assurance testers is $35.64
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
One of the most critical factors influencing job satisfaction is salary—especially when considering a career in quality assurance testing. With the rise of remote and hybrid work, many professionals are exploring compensation not just locally, but across states. Therefore, understanding the average salaries for quality assurance testers by state, adjusted for seniority and market demand, is essential.
As of 2026, Maryland stands out as the state offering the best salary for quality assurance testers.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for quality assurance tester salaries:
Let’s take a look at how we got here and a full ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Quality Assurance Testers By State
| Rank | State | Average Quality Assurance Tester Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $85,769 | $63,000 | $114,000 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $85,676 | $63,000 | $115,000 |
| 3 | Vermont | $84,773 | $62,000 | $115,000 |
| 4 | Connecticut | $83,752 | $62,000 | $112,000 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $83,219 | $61,000 | $111,000 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $80,562 | $60,000 | $108,000 |
| 7 | Virginia | $79,987 | $59,000 | $107,000 |
| 8 | California | $79,281 | $55,000 | $113,000 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $79,190 | $58,000 | $106,000 |
| 10 | New York | $79,176 | $59,000 | $106,000 |
| 11 | Delaware | $77,638 | $57,000 | $104,000 |
| 12 | Washington | $76,686 | $54,000 | $107,000 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $74,504 | $55,000 | $99,000 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $74,257 | $55,000 | $99,000 |
| 15 | Maine | $73,104 | $53,000 | $99,000 |
| 16 | Oregon | $73,002 | $52,000 | $101,000 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $72,850 | $54,000 | $96,000 |
| 18 | Kansas | $72,293 | $54,000 | $96,000 |
| 19 | Ohio | $72,023 | $53,000 | $96,000 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $71,726 | $52,000 | $97,000 |
| 21 | Nevada | $71,042 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| 22 | Illinois | $70,499 | $53,000 | $93,000 |
| 23 | Colorado | $70,209 | $52,000 | $94,000 |
| 24 | Alaska | $70,182 | $56,000 | $86,000 |
| 25 | Idaho | $69,892 | $50,000 | $97,000 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $69,876 | $52,000 | $92,000 |
| 27 | Arizona | $69,793 | $50,000 | $97,000 |
| 28 | Missouri | $69,540 | $52,000 | $92,000 |
| 29 | Michigan | $69,169 | $51,000 | $92,000 |
| 30 | Iowa | $68,898 | $51,000 | $91,000 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $68,581 | $51,000 | $91,000 |
| 32 | Georgia | $67,421 | $49,000 | $91,000 |
| 33 | Texas | $67,360 | $48,000 | $94,000 |
| 34 | Indiana | $67,148 | $50,000 | $89,000 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $67,047 | $50,000 | $88,000 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $66,841 | $50,000 | $89,000 |
| 37 | Alabama | $66,292 | $48,000 | $90,000 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $65,906 | $48,000 | $90,000 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $65,528 | $48,000 | $87,000 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $65,489 | $49,000 | $87,000 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $65,197 | $51,000 | $82,000 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $65,184 | $49,000 | $85,000 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $64,944 | $47,000 | $88,000 |
| 44 | Utah | $64,756 | $46,000 | $89,000 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $64,333 | $48,000 | $85,000 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $62,834 | $46,000 | $84,000 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $62,178 | $46,000 | $83,000 |
| 48 | Florida | $60,225 | $41,000 | $87,000 |
| 49 | Montana | $60,064 | $44,000 | $81,000 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $56,196 | $40,000 | $78,000 |
Methodology: Quality Assurance Tester Salary By State
To better understand quality assurance tester pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across multiple channels, including the BLS, FLC, and OPM. We supplement that data with actual listed salaries from job postings. Finally, the data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to create an average pay for quality assurance testers by state.
We took the average annual salary data for quality assurance testers from these estimates and ranked every state based on this criteria, identifying the state with the highest salary as the top-ranking state for quality assurance testers.
Quality Assurance Tester Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for quality assurance testers?
The highest-paid state for quality assurance testers is Maryland with an average salary of $85,769 per year.
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What city pays quality assurance testers the most?
San Francisco, CA pays quality assurance testers the most with an average salary of $85,753 per year.
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What is the worst state for quality assurance testers?
The worst state for quality assurance testers is Louisiana with an average salary of $56,196 per year.
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
