How much do quality assurance technicians make?

Quality assurance technicians make $37,000 yearly or $17.82 hourly generally. As most jobs go, factors like location, industry, and experience can determine your exact salary. On the lower end of the salary range, they make around $23,000, typically for entry-level positions. On the higher end, they can earn around $57,000. Some top-paying states are California, Alaska, and Hawaii, offering average salaries above $49,000. Some of the highest-earning industries have pharmaceutical, health care, and technology, with average salaries above $40,000.

What are the top three skills for a quality assurance technician?

The top three skills for a quality assurance technician are food safety, raw materials, and good manufacturing practice (GMP). Additional valuable skills are quality standards, lab equipment, and quality products.

What is a quality assurance technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted Expert

John Irwin EdD

A quality assurance technician ensures that products or services meet required quality standards and regulations. They test and inspect products by conducting visual inspections, performing laboratory tests, and analyzing data. Quality assurance technicians also develop quality control procedures and work with production teams to resolve any issues that may arise. Quality assurance technicians play a vital role in ensuring that products and services are of high quality and meet customer expectations.

What general advice would you give to a Quality Assurance Technician?

John Irwin EdD

Chair, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology, Professor, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Michigan Technological University

Engineering technology graduates are masters of technology, gaining a broad and deep understanding of the processes, systems, tools, and techniques necessary to construct, modify, operate, and maintain an engineering design. They act as technological integrators, bridging the gap between the skilled trades and engineering fundamentals. This is a great career path for those who enjoy engineering concepts but would rather spend time working with their hands solving specific technical issues than tackling broader, more complex design challenges.

ScoreQuality Assurance TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $40,027

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.4

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 8.25%

Black or African American 9.53%

Hispanic or Latino 16.82%

Unknown 4.88%

White 59.83%

Gender

female 42.42%

male 57.58%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress Level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.2

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.4

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Quality Assurance Technician?

Pros

Good pay and benefits
Room for advancement within the company
Work is varied and interesting
Ability to work independently
Constantly learning and improving skills

Cons

Requires strong attention to detail, which can be tiring and lead to eye strain or headaches
Can be tedious with large amounts of paperwork or data entry
May require working in noisy or uncomfortable environments
Can be frustrating when mistakes are made despite best efforts to prevent them
Can be difficult to keep up with changing regulations and technology

Key steps to become a quality assurance technician

Explore quality assurance technician education requirements

Most common quality assurance technician degrees

Bachelor's

51.7 %

Associate

23.8 %

High School Diploma

13.0 %

Start to develop specific quality assurance technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Food Safety	9.18%
GMP	6.95%
Lab Equipment	5.02%
Quality Products	4.29%
Quality Standards	3.99%

Complete relevant quality assurance technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New quality assurance technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a quality assurance technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real quality assurance technician resumes.

Research quality assurance technician duties and responsibilities

Track and manage CAPA's.
Train test personnel and manage QC test technicians in a fast pace environment.
Train newly hire technicians and used strong math and computing skill for data entry and records.
Approve NCR investigations and CAPA records.

Prepare your quality assurance technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your quality assurance technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a quality assurance technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Quality Assurance Technician Resume templates

Build a professional Quality Assurance Technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Quality Assurance Technician resume.

Apply for quality assurance technician jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a quality assurance technician job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average quality assurance technician salary

The average Quality Assurance Technician salary in the United States is $40,027 per year or $19 per hour. Quality assurance technician salaries range between $26,000 and $60,000 per year.

Average Quality Assurance Technician Salary

$40,027 Yearly

$19.24 hourly

How do quality assurance technicians rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Quality Assurance Technician reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

Chemical procedure for making final product with approved formula Work with r&d people for validation batches

Cons

Nothing

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

Very repetitive work schedule, so no huge surprises or having to carve out time in addition to the regular work week. Little supervision, which could be a plus if you are looking for a job where there is no micromanagement.

Cons

In a lot of places, a QA Inspector tends to be a dead-end job at that particular company because it is difficult to find people willing to stay in that position long term (most leave within 2 years). However, it is a valuable stepping stone to gaining a promotion in a new company! Also, the job itself is thankless. Production dislikes QA, management never likes to receive bad news...it is a job where you never get thanked for preventing bigger errors, only punished if you end up missing anything. I takes a hardy person who likes working independently to perform well in this role.

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019

Pros

Investing issues and fixing things

Cons

Lots of down time sitting at a desk. A lot of responsibilities

What is a quality assurance technician and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Quality Assurance Technician?

What are the pros and cons of being a Quality Assurance Technician?

Quality Assurance Technician career paths

Key steps to become a quality assurance technician

Explore quality assurance technician education requirements

Most common quality assurance technician degrees

Start to develop specific quality assurance technician skills

Complete relevant quality assurance technician training and internships

Research quality assurance technician duties and responsibilities

Prepare your quality assurance technician resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Quality Assurance Technician Resume templates

Apply for quality assurance technician jobs

How Did You Land Your First Quality Assurance Technician Job

Average quality assurance technician salary

How do quality assurance technicians rate their job?

Quality Assurance Technician reviews

Quality Assurance Technician FAQs

How much do quality assurance technicians make?

What are the top three skills for a quality assurance technician?

Search for quality assurance technician jobs

Quality Assurance Technician jobs by state