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Quality improvement specialist salary
Average quality improvement specialist salary
$67,474
Average Quality Improvement Specialist Salary
The average salary for a Quality Improvement Specialist in the United States is approximately $67,474 per year, translating to about $32 per hour. This figure reflects the vital contributions made by professionals in this field, primarily focused on improving healthcare quality and efficiency.
Salary by Location
Geographic location significantly influences salary levels. For example, states like California and New York typically offer higher salaries due to increased living costs and demand for skilled professionals. Understanding regional salary variations can help you target your job search effectively.
Industry Impact
Industries vary in how they compensate Quality Improvement Specialists. Healthcare organizations, particularly hospitals and healthcare systems, often provide competitive salaries, while other sectors may offer different compensation packages. Identifying the highest-paying industries can guide your career decisions and job applications.
Career Advancement Opportunities
For those looking to advance, gaining additional certifications and experience can lead to higher-paying positions. Roles such as Quality Manager or Compliance Officer often provide pathways to increased earnings and responsibilities.
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Where can a Quality Improvement Specialist earn more?
Quality improvement specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average quality improvement specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for quality improvement specialists are Massachusetts, California, and New York. The lowest average quality improvement specialist salary states are Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for quality improvement specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $80,274 | $38.59 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $76,317 | $36.69 |
| 3 | District of Columbia | $78,174 | $37.58 |
| 4 | Texas | $74,845 | $35.98 |
| 5 | New York | $78,553 | $37.77 |
| 6 | Nevada | $73,037 | $35.11 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $73,310 | $35.25 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $85,172 | $40.95 |
| 9 | Michigan | $70,598 | $33.94 |
| 10 | Maine | $70,573 | $33.93 |
| 11 | Kansas | $73,800 | $35.48 |
| 12 | Delaware | $68,656 | $33.01 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $66,496 | $31.97 |
| 14 | North Dakota | $62,784 | $30.18 |
| 15 | Vermont | $66,690 | $32.06 |
| 16 | Alaska | $70,161 | $33.73 |
| 17 | Hawaii | $73,731 | $35.45 |
| 18 | Louisiana | $71,955 | $34.59 |
| 19 | Tennessee | $65,819 | $31.64 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $65,704 | $31.59 |
| 21 | Ohio | $66,008 | $31.73 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $62,534 | $30.06 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $66,776 | $32.10 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $63,332 | $30.45 |
| 25 | Illinois | $66,364 | $31.91 |
| 26 | Oregon | $64,203 | $30.87 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $60,336 | $29.01 |
| 28 | Indiana | $60,342 | $29.01 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $63,540 | $30.55 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $59,384 | $28.55 |
| 31 | Iowa | $59,852 | $28.77 |
| 32 | Connecticut | $63,900 | $30.72 |
| 33 | Maryland | $61,399 | $29.52 |
| 34 | Utah | $57,709 | $27.74 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $61,206 | $29.43 |
| 36 | Colorado | $64,063 | $30.80 |
| 37 | Washington | $61,903 | $29.76 |
| 38 | Virginia | $60,813 | $29.24 |
| 39 | Arizona | $58,576 | $28.16 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $57,142 | $27.47 |
| 41 | Idaho | $57,647 | $27.71 |
| 42 | Wyoming | $54,490 | $26.20 |
| 43 | Missouri | $58,589 | $28.17 |
| 44 | New Mexico | $57,979 | $27.87 |
| 45 | Alabama | $56,605 | $27.21 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $57,046 | $27.43 |
| 47 | Florida | $57,812 | $27.79 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $56,172 | $27.01 |
| 49 | Georgia | $56,613 | $27.22 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $55,464 | $26.67 |
| 51 | Montana | $55,664 | $26.76 |
Highest paying cities for quality improvement specialists
The highest-paying cities for quality improvement specialists are Santa Rosa, CA, Boston, MA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa, CA | $85,527 | $41.12 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $85,310 | $41.01 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $78,748 | $37.86 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $76,841 | $36.94 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $75,230 | $36.17 |
| 6 | North Bergen, NJ | $73,424 | $35.30 |
| 7 | Ann Arbor, MI | $70,587 | $33.94 |
| 8 | Wilmington, DE | $68,797 | $33.08 |
| 9 | Saint Cloud, MN | $66,548 | $31.99 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $66,479 | $31.96 |
| 11 | Madison, WI | $65,447 | $31.46 |
| 12 | Cincinnati, OH | $64,807 | $31.16 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $63,966 | $30.75 |
| 14 | Hillsboro, OR | $63,891 | $30.72 |
| 15 | Seattle, WA | $62,214 | $29.91 |
| 16 | Baltimore, MD | $61,560 | $29.60 |
| 17 | Fort Wayne, IN | $60,958 | $29.31 |
| 18 | Omaha, NE | $60,472 | $29.07 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $59,887 | $28.79 |
| 20 | Saint Louis, MO | $58,889 | $28.31 |
Quality improvement specialist salary details
A quality improvement specialist's salary ranges from $47,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $96,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a quality improvement specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| 75th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
| Average | $67,474 | $5,623 | $32 |
| 25th Percentile | $55,000 | $4,583 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $47,000 | $3,917 | $23 |
Highest paying quality improvement specialist jobs
The highest paying types of quality improvement specialists are principal consultant, business developer, and senior specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Coordinator | $41,934 | $3,495 | $20.16 | 102,598 |
| Principal Consultant | $116,478 | $9,706 | $56.00 | 143,753 |
| Contractor/Consultant | $84,811 | $7,068 | $40.77 | 64,573 |
| Operations Internship | $33,357 | $2,780 | $16.04 | 111,994 |
| Business Developer | $101,635 | $8,470 | $48.86 | 193,469 |
| Quality Consultant | $79,541 | $6,628 | $38.24 | 88,944 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for quality improvement specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Kim Chatani
Assistant Professor, Concordia University Irvine
Top companies hiring quality improvement specialists now:
Which companies pay quality improvement specialists the most?
Quality improvement specialist salaries at TechnipFMC and Novo Nordisk are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality improvement specialist salary at companies like Pfizer and Regeneron are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TechnipFMC | $99,804 | $47.98 |
| 2 | Novo Nordisk | $96,205 | $46.25 |
| 3 | Pfizer | $92,132 | $44.29 |
| 4 | Regeneron | $92,064 | $44.26 |
| 5 | Thermo Fisher Scientific | $86,620 | $41.64 |
| 6 | Cargill | $85,632 | $41.17 |
| 7 | Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital | $81,764 | $39.31 |
| 8 | Children's Hospital of Michigan | $81,186 | $39.03 |
| 9 | Northwell Health | $81,082 | $38.98 |
| 10 | Lowell General Hospital | $80,807 | $38.85 |
| 11 | Novelis | $80,806 | $38.85 |
| 12 | Park Nicollet Medical Center Inc | $78,657 | $37.82 |
| 13 | Yale New Haven Health | $78,612 | $37.79 |
| 14 | Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | $78,524 | $37.75 |
| 15 | Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey | $78,492 | $37.74 |
| 16 | TreeHouse Foods | $78,457 | $37.72 |
| 17 | Kaleida Health | $78,120 | $37.56 |
| 18 | Johnson Controls | $77,272 | $37.15 |
| 19 | Mount Sinai Health System | $77,209 | $37.12 |
| 20 | UC Santa Barbara | $76,719 | $36.88 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Quality Improvement Specialist salary by industry
The average quality improvement specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average quality improvement specialist salary in the automotive industry is $73,822, the highest of any industry.
- The average quality improvement specialist salary in the finance industry is $70,300.
- Quality improvement specialists in the health care industry earn an average salary of $62,868, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for quality improvement specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $73,822 | $35.49 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $70,300 | $33.80 |
| 3 | Insurance | $68,987 | $33.17 |
| 4 | Health Care | $62,868 | $30.23 |
High paying quality improvement specialist jobs
Quality improvement specialist salary trends
The average quality improvement specialist salary has risen by $9,931 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality improvement specialist earned $57,543 annually, but today, they earn $67,474 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for quality improvement specialists over the last decade.
Compare quality improvement specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average quality improvement specialist salary over time
Compare quality improvement specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Quality improvement specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $67,500 | $32.44 | +3.8% |
| 2025 | $64,900 | $31.20 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $63,400 | $30.47 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | $62,900 | $30.25 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | $62,000 | $29.83 | +1.3% |
Recently added quality improvement specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR Donnelley | Quality & Continuous Improvement Specialist | Warrenville, IL | 06/28/2025 | $77,900 |
| Sevita | Quality Improvement Specialist | Albuquerque, NM | 06/28/2025 | $40,000 |
| Northwell Health | Quality Improvement Specialist | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $64,350 |
| Programs for Parents | Quality Improvement Specialist | Newark, NJ | 06/26/2025 | $65,000 |
| PG&E | Performance Improvement Specialist, Expert | Oakland, CA | 06/25/2025 | $118,000 |
| Hackensack Meridian Health | Quality Improvement Specialist, Ambulatory | Tinton Falls, NJ | 06/25/2025 | $111,925 |
| L.A. Care Health Plan | Quality Improvement Training Specialist II | Los Angeles, CA | 06/24/2025 | $77,265 |
| Sevita | Quality Improvement Specialist | Columbia, MO | 06/22/2025 | $58,000 |
| Adapt of Hudson Valley | Quality Improvement Specialist | Middletown, NY | 06/20/2025 | $40,000 |
| State of Oklahoma | Performance Improvement Specialist | Cole, OK | 06/20/2025 | $31,597 |
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