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Quality engineer salary
Average quality engineer salary
$79,672
Understanding Quality Engineer Salaries
Quality Engineers play a crucial role in maintaining product excellence across various sectors, with an average salary of $79,672 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which one works.
Salary by Location
States like California and Texas often offer higher salaries due to the demand for skilled engineers in tech and manufacturing industries. For example, Quality Engineers in metropolitan areas typically earn more than those in rural settings.
Industry Impact
Industry also significantly influences salary. Quality Engineers in the pharmaceutical and automotive sectors tend to command higher wages compared to those in other fields. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers make informed career choices.
Career Advancement
As professionals gain experience and certifications, they may find opportunities to advance into managerial roles, which come with increased compensation. Continuous learning and networking are essential for career progression in this field.
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Where can a Quality Engineer earn more?
Quality engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average quality engineer salary by state
The average quality engineer salary in Washington, Delaware, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average quality engineer salary states are Kentucky, Hawaii, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for quality engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $96,741 | $46.51 |
| 2 | Delaware | $93,608 | $45.00 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $91,891 | $44.18 |
| 4 | California | $92,780 | $44.61 |
| 5 | Oregon | $85,967 | $41.33 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $83,063 | $39.93 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $82,315 | $39.57 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $88,178 | $42.39 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $84,511 | $40.63 |
| 10 | Arizona | $80,319 | $38.61 |
| 11 | Maryland | $82,380 | $39.61 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $80,575 | $38.74 |
| 13 | Michigan | $77,318 | $37.17 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $77,653 | $37.33 |
| 15 | Nevada | $81,978 | $39.41 |
| 16 | Virginia | $81,562 | $39.21 |
| 17 | Idaho | $80,889 | $38.89 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $79,829 | $38.38 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $85,772 | $41.24 |
| 20 | Texas | $76,951 | $37.00 |
| 21 | Maine | $80,250 | $38.58 |
| 22 | New York | $80,667 | $38.78 |
| 23 | Ohio | $73,286 | $35.23 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $71,720 | $34.48 |
| 25 | Utah | $71,531 | $34.39 |
| 26 | Montana | $79,571 | $38.26 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $74,515 | $35.82 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $74,612 | $35.87 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $74,590 | $35.86 |
| 30 | Illinois | $74,286 | $35.71 |
| 31 | Alaska | $78,315 | $37.65 |
| 32 | Colorado | $74,140 | $35.64 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $70,225 | $33.76 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $75,388 | $36.24 |
| 35 | Alabama | $68,614 | $32.99 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $67,935 | $32.66 |
| 37 | Vermont | $71,699 | $34.47 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $66,193 | $31.82 |
| 39 | Georgia | $68,613 | $32.99 |
| 40 | Iowa | $66,598 | $32.02 |
| 41 | Missouri | $68,855 | $33.10 |
| 42 | Indiana | $64,012 | $30.77 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $65,082 | $31.29 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $65,829 | $31.65 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $67,749 | $32.57 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $65,209 | $31.35 |
| 47 | Kansas | $66,715 | $32.07 |
| 48 | Florida | $63,942 | $30.74 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $64,278 | $30.90 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $63,264 | $30.42 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $64,311 | $30.92 |
Highest paying cities for quality engineers
The highest-paying cities for quality engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Natick, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $101,387 | $48.74 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $97,079 | $46.67 |
| 3 | Natick, MA | $91,917 | $44.19 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $80,847 | $38.87 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $80,424 | $38.67 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $77,911 | $37.46 |
| 7 | Warren, MI | $77,646 | $37.33 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | $77,642 | $37.33 |
| 9 | Bentonville, AR | $74,580 | $35.86 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $74,524 | $35.83 |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | $72,804 | $35.00 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | $71,141 | $34.20 |
| 13 | Charlotte, NC | $70,584 | $33.93 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $68,818 | $33.09 |
| 15 | Memphis, TN | $67,634 | $32.52 |
| 16 | Columbus, IN | $63,717 | $30.63 |
| 17 | Columbus, MS | $62,956 | $30.27 |
Quality Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Quality engineer salary details
A quality engineer's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $103,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a quality engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| Average | $79,672 | $6,639 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
Highest paying quality engineer jobs
The highest paying types of quality engineers are manager, quality engineer, reliability engineer, and senior quality engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auditor/Quality | $35,312 | $2,943 | $16.98 | 77,040 |
| Product Development Engineer | $86,075 | $7,173 | $41.38 | 202,155 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Production Engineer | $89,727 | $7,477 | $43.14 | 94,789 |
| Quality Coordinator | $54,953 | $4,579 | $26.42 | 77,032 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for quality engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring quality engineers now:
Which companies pay quality engineers the most?
Quality engineer salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality engineer salary at companies like Apple and Practice Fusion are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $140,420 | $67.51 |
| 2 | $127,291 | $61.20 | |
| 3 | Apple | $123,471 | $59.36 |
| 4 | Practice Fusion | $120,109 | $57.74 |
| 5 | PayPal | $118,837 | $57.13 |
| 6 | Lyft | $118,261 | $56.86 |
| 7 | Okta | $118,071 | $56.76 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $117,908 | $56.69 |
| 9 | NVIDIA | $116,679 | $56.10 |
| 10 | First Republic Bank | $116,283 | $55.91 |
| 11 | Vista Equity Partners | $115,663 | $55.61 |
| 12 | Chewy | $115,200 | $55.38 |
| 13 | Costco Wholesale | $115,165 | $55.37 |
| 14 | Zoox | $114,302 | $54.95 |
| 15 | Cisco | $113,120 | $54.38 |
| 16 | Zendesk | $112,798 | $54.23 |
| 17 | Salesforce | $112,670 | $54.17 |
| 18 | GoPro | $112,568 | $54.12 |
| 19 | Workday | $111,353 | $53.54 |
| 20 | Adobe | $111,056 | $53.39 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Quality Engineer salary by industry
The average quality engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average quality engineer salary in the technology industry is $84,890, the highest of any industry.
- The average quality engineer salary in the finance industry is $79,674.
- Quality engineers in the automotive industry earn an average salary of $76,862, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for quality engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $84,890 | $40.81 |
| 2 | Health Care | $79,674 | $38.30 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $77,777 | $37.39 |
| 4 | Retail | $77,315 | $37.17 |
| 5 | Automotive | $76,862 | $36.95 |
High paying quality engineer jobs
Quality engineer salary trends
The average quality engineer salary has risen by $10,489 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality engineer earned $69,183 annually, but today, they earn $79,672 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for quality engineers over the last decade.
Compare quality engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average quality engineer salary over time
Compare quality engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Quality engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $79,700 | $38.30 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | $78,800 | $37.90 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $78,000 | $37.48 | +1.3% |
| 2023 | $76,900 | $36.98 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $75,500 | $36.31 | +1.0% |
Recently added quality engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWX Technologies Inc. | Quality Engineer 1-Nuclear Fuel Services | Erwin, TN | 06/30/2025 | $56,000 |
| IDEX | Quality Engineer | Denver, CO | 06/30/2025 | $65,700 |
| Jeppesen | Experienced Quality Engineer | Berkeley, MO | 06/30/2025 | $88,400 |
| Pall | Quality Engineer | Cortland, NY | 06/30/2025 | $85,000 |
| Solectron Corp | Quality Engineer | Milpitas, CA | 06/30/2025 | $85,200 |
| Solectron Corp | Quality Engineer | Buffalo Grove, IL | 06/30/2025 | $74,500 |
| Blue Origin | Engineer-Quality & Contin Improvement III | Denver, CO | 06/30/2025 | $81,745 |
| Walt Disney World Resort | Facilities Quality Engineer | Anaheim, CA | 06/30/2025 | $98,800 |
| Walt Disney World Resort | Facilities Quality Engineer | Lake Buena Vista, FL | 06/30/2025 | $98,800 |
| G&W Electric | Quality Engineer II-OPS | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
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