Research Summary. After extensive research by the Zippia data science team, we identified these details of quality assurance manager salary by state for the United States in 2026:
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California has the highest quality assurance manager salary of $125,156
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Wyoming has the lowest quality assurance manager salary of $59,268
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The national average salary for quality assurance managers is $99,894
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The national hourly pay for quality assurance managers is $48.03
You can read more on the specific methodology.
Background
Consistently, surveys across different demographics indicate that salary remains the most crucial aspect of a job for many individuals. Prospective candidates often ask: how much do quality assurance managers earn in my area?
While various factors influence your specific earning potential, there is robust data available for average salaries of quality assurance managers across the United States, categorized by seniority level. Although your city’s figures might deviate from the state average, these statistics provide a solid estimation of what you might expect in terms of salary.
The state with the most lucrative salary for quality assurance managers remains California, reflecting its high cost of living and significant demand for skilled professionals.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the top ten states for quality assurance manager salaries in 2026:
Let’s explore how we arrived at these figures and present a comprehensive ranking of all the states.
Highest-Paid Quality Assurance Managers By State
| Rank | State | Average Quality Assurance Manager Salary | 10th Percentile | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $125,156 | $82,000 | $190,000 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $107,724 | $74,000 | $155,000 |
| 3 | Washington | $106,786 | $67,000 | $167,000 |
| 4 | Nevada | $106,276 | $67,000 | $166,000 |
| 5 | Delaware | $104,188 | $72,000 | $149,000 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $101,537 | $70,000 | $145,000 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $100,103 | $69,000 | $143,000 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $98,825 | $68,000 | $142,000 |
| 9 | New York | $98,815 | $68,000 | $142,000 |
| 10 | Louisiana | $97,393 | $64,000 | $146,000 |
| 11 | Virginia | $95,942 | $67,000 | $137,000 |
| 12 | Oregon | $95,577 | $61,000 | $149,000 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $95,381 | $66,000 | $137,000 |
| 14 | Arizona | $95,262 | $62,000 | $144,000 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $94,725 | $65,000 | $136,000 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $94,334 | $66,000 | $134,000 |
| 17 | Vermont | $93,971 | $64,000 | $135,000 |
| 18 | Maryland | $92,596 | $64,000 | $132,000 |
| 19 | Ohio | $91,966 | $63,000 | $133,000 |
| 20 | Montana | $90,943 | $56,000 | $147,000 |
| 21 | West Virginia | $89,563 | $62,000 | $128,000 |
| 22 | Indiana | $89,270 | $60,000 | $131,000 |
| 23 | Georgia | $88,704 | $61,000 | $128,000 |
| 24 | Texas | $88,470 | $58,000 | $133,000 |
| 25 | Michigan | $88,346 | $60,000 | $128,000 |
| 26 | Illinois | $88,282 | $59,000 | $131,000 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $86,740 | $56,000 | $132,000 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $85,888 | $58,000 | $125,000 |
| 29 | Alaska | $85,047 | $55,000 | $129,000 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $84,530 | $56,000 | $125,000 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $81,788 | $57,000 | $117,000 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $81,629 | $56,000 | $118,000 |
| 33 | Utah | $79,504 | $48,000 | $130,000 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $79,003 | $51,000 | $122,000 |
| 35 | Alabama | $78,481 | $53,000 | $114,000 |
| 36 | Florida | $78,288 | $52,000 | $117,000 |
| 37 | Missouri | $75,640 | $48,000 | $117,000 |
| 38 | Maine | $75,328 | $52,000 | $108,000 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $74,065 | $49,000 | $109,000 |
| 40 | Idaho | $73,798 | $45,000 | $119,000 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $72,889 | $48,000 | $109,000 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $72,828 | $46,000 | $113,000 |
| 43 | Kansas | $71,886 | $45,000 | $114,000 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $71,853 | $54,000 | $95,000 |
| 45 | Iowa | $71,680 | $45,000 | $111,000 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $69,772 | $44,000 | $108,000 |
| 47 | South Dakota | $67,269 | $41,000 | $107,000 |
| 48 | Colorado | $67,078 | $40,000 | $110,000 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $62,131 | $38,000 | $100,000 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $59,268 | $35,000 | $97,000 |
Methodology: Quality Assurance Manager Salary By State
To better understand quality assurance manager pay by state, Zippia has aggregated data across various channels including the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Federal Labor Commission (FLC), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). We complement this data with actual salary figures from job postings. Lastly, our data science team calculates a weighted average of these inputs to derive the average pay for quality assurance managers by state.
We derived the average annual salary data for quality assurance managers from these estimates and ranked every state based on this criterion, with the highest salary ranking as the state with the best average salary for quality assurance managers.
Quality Assurance Manager Salary By State FAQs
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What is the highest-paid state for quality assurance managers?
The highest-paid state for quality assurance managers is California with an average salary of $125,156 per year.
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What city pays quality assurance managers the most?
San Francisco, CA pays quality assurance managers the most with an average salary of $136,654 per year.
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What is the worst state for quality assurance managers?
The worst state for quality assurance managers is Wyoming with an average salary of $59,268 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.
