What is a Quality Assurance Technician?

Quality assurance technicians make sure that an organization's products meet quality standards before going out to consumers. Quality assurance technicians can specialize in any product, from food to software. They handle the technical aspect of quality assurance testing by inspecting products and ensuring that they conform to private and governmental regulations. They also handle the administrative aspect of quality assurance testing by logging results and documenting compliance. Quality assurance technicians need strong attention to detail to spot any errors. They also need strong interpersonal skills to work with other technicians and quality assurance engineers to design and implement tests.

Many quality assurance technicians have only a high school diploma or an associate's degree. However, earning a bachelor's degree in business or engineering makes it easier to find a job. Quality assurance technicians earn an average salary of $34,163 a year, but those with college degrees may earn more.

Quality assurance technicians usually need a few years of experience working in quality control or manufacturing before being qualified for this position.

What Does a Quality Assurance Technician Do

There are certain skills that many quality assurance technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and detail oriented.

Learn more about what a Quality Assurance Technician does

How To Become a Quality Assurance Technician

If you're interested in becoming a quality assurance technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 51.7% of quality assurance technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of quality assurance technicians have master's degrees. Even though most quality assurance technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Quality Assurance Technician
Top Quality Assurance Technician Jobs Near You

Quality Assurance Technician Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a quality assurance technician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as quality assurance supervisor, progress to a title such as quality assurance manager and then eventually end up with the title quality manager.

Quality Assurance Technician

Average Salary for a Quality Assurance Technician

Quality Assurance Technicians in America make an average salary of $40,027 per year or $19 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $60,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Quality Assurance Technician Salary
$40,027 Yearly
$19.24 hourly
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Roles and Types of Quality Assurance Technician

The role of a quality assurance technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general quality assurance technician responsibilities:

  • Report to appropriate supervisor any areas of processing that are out of quality specification weigh
  • Oversee qc for the set top box (stb) operation, act as lead auditor with strong emphasis on iso/tl 9000 registration requirements update current inspection
  • Federal mogul is currently recruiting energetic, highly motivated individuals looking to further their career in our effort to produce the highest quality spark plugs in the world, champion spark plugs. We are actively recruiting a quality assurance technician to work in our burlington, iowa manufacturing facility. This position may be assigned to an off shift or a weekend shift a quality assurance technician is responsible for testing

There are several types of quality assurance technician, including:

Laboratory Technician

Role:

As a laboratory technician, you get to do all the nitty gritty work, like collecting samples. But you also get to study and take part in conducting tests. So it's not all nitty gritty, at least.

The majority of your day as a laboratory technician will be spent in a lab, surrounded by bodily fluids, chemicals, and organic matter. If any of that makes you squirmish just thinking about it, then it's not too late to turn back.

Employers prefer that you have a bachelor's degree before pursuing a position as a laboratory tech, but associate degrees are also welcome. Before you start, you'll need to rack up a few years of experience in lab work. It probably wouldn't be a good thing if you blew up the lab on your first day.

  • Average Salary: $40,038
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Engineering Technician

Role:

Equipment, construction and design all have one thing in common. They all need to be inspected and tested by engineering technicians. Once you've done that, then it's time to type up a report of what you analyzed.

Occassionally, you'll be able to help draw up blueprints and plans for products and equipment. If you like coloring inside the lines, this job may be perfect for you. While you won't be coloring inside any lines (probably), you will get to draw very straight lines which can be aesthetically pleasing.

Engineering technicians can usually get by with just a bachelor's degree. That's enough to appease the average employer.

  • Average Salary: $60,273
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Quality Control Technician

Role:

As a Quality Control Technician, you will test and assess materials before, during, and after a production process in order to ensure efficiency. You will implement policies and regulations, maintain a productive and safe working environment, and produce reports.

Since you are dealing with a lot of information as a Quality Control Technician, you need to have great analytical skills. You need to be able to identify relevant information from the pool of information you have and interpret data in the best way possible. Next is communication skills. You need to always be clear and efficient when communicating with the people you're working with. Lastly, you need to be detail-oriented and mindful of details at all times.

You can earn an annual average salary of $35,038 as a Quality Control Technician. You can also explore other careers and climb up your career ladder after some time. You can be a Laboratory Technician, a Quality Assistance Technician, a Quality Assurance Supervisor, or a Quality Assurance Manager.

  • Average Salary: $40,337
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Quality Assurance Technician Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active quality assurance technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where quality assurance technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Quality Assurance Technician Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California6,066$47,596
2Texas3,145$42,097
3Florida2,205$38,621
4New York2,116$40,211
5Pennsylvania1,838$39,505
6North Carolina1,811$33,061
7Illinois1,626$38,106
8Ohio1,611$34,949
9Virginia1,538$37,523
10Massachusetts1,506$41,080
11Georgia1,496$41,168
12New Jersey1,458$43,246
13Indiana1,236$34,326
14Minnesota1,193$38,345
15Michigan1,171$37,885
16Maryland1,159$48,654
17Washington1,068$42,433
18Wisconsin973$35,903
19Arizona932$44,674
20Colorado926$39,041
21Tennessee834$35,073
22Missouri753$36,259
23Utah747$33,951
24South Carolina727$39,346
25Oregon689$38,739
26Kentucky626$36,313
27Iowa607$33,105
28Alabama580$36,009
29Connecticut535$41,227
30Kansas429$40,099
31New Hampshire411$38,575
32Nebraska322$36,806
33Oklahoma295$34,839
34Nevada293$40,108
35Mississippi285$40,051
36Louisiana280$36,064
37Arkansas277$29,568
38New Mexico249$44,500
39Maine216$36,985
40Rhode Island205$47,154
41Idaho205$34,212
42West Virginia175$36,936
43Delaware162$37,547
44North Dakota161$34,476
45Montana144$35,771
46Alaska141$35,355
47South Dakota116$29,389
48Vermont109$35,874
49Hawaii101$54,320
50Wyoming74$37,047

Quality Assurance Technician Education

Quality Assurance Technician Majors

Biology
18.9 %
Business
18.5 %
Chemistry
9.0 %

Quality Assurance Technician Degrees

Bachelors

51.7 %

Associate

23.8 %

High School Diploma

13.0 %

Top Colleges for Quality Assurance Technicians

1. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,992

Enrollment

33,495

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

6. University of Wisconsin - Stout

Menomonie, WI • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,457

Enrollment

7,445

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. Texas State University

San Marcos, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$10,280

Enrollment

34,187

9. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

10. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

Top Skills For a Quality Assurance Technician

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.2% of quality assurance technicians listed food safety on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Quality Assurance Technician Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Quality Assurance Technician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Quality Assurance Technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Quality Assurance Technician Resume

Quality Assurance Technician diversity

Quality Assurance Technician Gender Distribution

Male
Male
58%
Female
Female
42%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among quality assurance technicians, 42.4% of them are women, while 57.6% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among quality assurance technicians is White, which makes up 59.8% of all quality assurance technicians.

  • The most common foreign language among quality assurance technicians is Spanish at 69.5%.

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Best States For a Quality Assurance Technician

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a quality assurance technician. The best states for people in this position are Hawaii, Maryland, California, and Rhode Island. Quality assurance technicians make the most in Hawaii with an average salary of $54,320. Whereas in Maryland and California, they would average $48,654 and $47,596, respectively. While quality assurance technicians would only make an average of $47,154 in Rhode Island, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Maryland

Total Quality Assurance Technician Jobs: 1,159
Highest 10% Earn:
$80,000
Location Quotient:
1.13

$48,654

Avg. Salary

View 1,159 Quality Assurance Technician Jobs In MD

2. California

Total Quality Assurance Technician Jobs: 6,066
Highest 10% Earn:
$74,000
Location Quotient:
1.29

$47,596

Avg. Salary

View 6,066 Quality Assurance Technician Jobs In CA

3. Rhode Island

Total Quality Assurance Technician Jobs: 205
Highest 10% Earn:
$82,000
Location Quotient:
1.05

$47,154

Avg. Salary

View 205 Quality Assurance Technician Jobs In RI
Full List Of Best States For Quality Assurance Technicians

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Top Quality Assurance Technician Employers

Most Common Employers For Quality Assurance Technician

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Amazon$53,750$25.8466
2Abbott$47,774$22.9779
3Milk Specialties Global$42,182$20.2840
4Golden State Foods$41,274$19.8440
5Cargill$40,719$19.5871
6Koch Foods$38,778$18.6487
7Aerotek$38,595$18.56138
8Adecco$38,370$18.4567
9Kelly Services$37,920$18.23142
10The Coca-Cola Company$37,667$18.11229
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Quality Assurance Technician Videos

iExplore Quality Assurance Technician manufacturing career video
Quality Assurance Technician

Becoming a Quality Assurance Technician FAQs

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.

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated April 6, 2023