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Application tester salary
Average application tester salary
$88,835
Average Application Tester Salary
The average salary for an Application Tester in the United States is approximately $88,835 per year, translating to about $43 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, testers in high-demand areas or specialized fields often earn higher wages.
Where Can Application Testers Earn More?
States such as California, New York, and Washington consistently report higher average salaries for application testers. In these regions, professionals can command salaries exceeding $100,000. Additionally, sectors like technology and finance tend to offer the most lucrative opportunities, reflecting the industry's need for quality assurance amidst rapid software development.
Industry Insights
The demand for skilled application testers is projected to grow as companies increasingly prioritize software reliability. This trend creates numerous openings for aspiring testers. Networking, continuing education, and certifications can significantly enhance an applicant's prospects, positioning them favorably in the job market.
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Where can an Application Tester earn more?
Application tester salary estimates from across the web
Average application tester salary by state
The highest-paying states for application testers are California, Washington, and New York. The lowest average application tester salary states are Indiana, Colorado, and Tennessee.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for application testers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $105,036 | $50.50 |
| 2 | California | $105,439 | $50.69 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $93,913 | $45.15 |
| 4 | Oregon | $92,931 | $44.68 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $92,116 | $44.29 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $96,842 | $46.56 |
| 7 | Delaware | $91,740 | $44.11 |
| 8 | Virginia | $91,222 | $43.86 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $91,546 | $44.01 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $93,737 | $45.07 |
| 11 | New York | $96,423 | $46.36 |
| 12 | Utah | $82,402 | $39.62 |
| 13 | Michigan | $88,232 | $42.42 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $89,792 | $43.17 |
| 15 | Maryland | $90,832 | $43.67 |
| 16 | Nevada | $89,810 | $43.18 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $79,998 | $38.46 |
| 18 | Texas | $84,530 | $40.64 |
| 19 | Kentucky | $87,936 | $42.28 |
| 20 | Maine | $87,214 | $41.93 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $81,894 | $39.37 |
| 22 | Idaho | $82,639 | $39.73 |
| 23 | Montana | $81,187 | $39.03 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $77,277 | $37.15 |
| 25 | Arizona | $78,188 | $37.59 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $82,601 | $39.71 |
| 27 | Vermont | $76,722 | $36.89 |
| 28 | Ohio | $76,867 | $36.96 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $73,162 | $35.17 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $73,934 | $35.55 |
| 31 | Illinois | $77,848 | $37.43 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $75,032 | $36.07 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $73,059 | $35.12 |
| 34 | Florida | $74,559 | $35.85 |
| 35 | Iowa | $74,976 | $36.05 |
| 36 | Louisiana | $75,887 | $36.48 |
| 37 | Georgia | $73,405 | $35.29 |
| 38 | Missouri | $75,137 | $36.12 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $72,503 | $34.86 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $71,134 | $34.20 |
| 41 | Colorado | $69,795 | $33.56 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $70,974 | $34.12 |
| 43 | Alaska | $73,973 | $35.56 |
| 44 | Indiana | $70,090 | $33.70 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $71,297 | $34.28 |
| 46 | Kansas | $70,927 | $34.10 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $72,319 | $34.77 |
| 48 | Tennessee | $69,295 | $33.31 |
| 49 | Alabama | $67,178 | $32.30 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $67,118 | $32.27 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $65,772 | $31.62 |
Highest paying cities for application testers
The highest-paying cities for application testers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $118,478 | $56.96 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $105,691 | $50.81 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $96,962 | $46.62 |
| 4 | Hicksville, NY | $96,930 | $46.60 |
| 5 | Jersey City, NJ | $93,890 | $45.14 |
| 6 | Portland, OR | $92,579 | $44.51 |
| 7 | Norwood, MA | $92,293 | $44.37 |
| 8 | McLean, VA | $91,593 | $44.04 |
| 9 | Columbia, MD | $90,850 | $43.68 |
| 10 | Hartford, CT | $89,837 | $43.19 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $85,779 | $41.24 |
| 12 | Eagan, MN | $82,550 | $39.69 |
| 13 | Harrisburg, PA | $81,299 | $39.09 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | $78,236 | $37.61 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $78,050 | $37.52 |
| 16 | Baton Rouge, LA | $76,359 | $36.71 |
| 17 | Alpharetta, GA | $73,696 | $35.43 |
| 18 | Bentonville, AR | $73,216 | $35.20 |
| 19 | Charleston, WV | $70,493 | $33.89 |
| 20 | Indianapolis, IN | $70,139 | $33.72 |
Application tester salary details
An application tester's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $116,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an application tester's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $116,000 | $9,667 | $56 |
| 75th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| Average | $88,835 | $7,403 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying application tester jobs
The highest paying types of application testers are senior quality assurance engineer, quality assurance team leader, and systems tester.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance Lead | $94,758 | $7,897 | $45.56 | 82,242 |
| Test Analyst | $70,997 | $5,916 | $34.13 | 91,308 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $73,532 | $6,128 | $35.35 | 108,078 |
| Quality Analyst | $71,957 | $5,996 | $34.59 | 110,980 |
| Quality Assurance Consultant | $86,486 | $7,207 | $41.58 | 91,395 |
| Quality Assurance Team Leader | $97,476 | $8,123 | $46.86 | 131,886 |
Top companies hiring application testers now:
Which companies pay application testers the most?
Application tester salaries at Splunk and Citi are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average application tester salary at companies like Santander Private Banking International and RSM US are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Splunk | $123,826 | $59.53 |
| 2 | Citi | $123,556 | $59.40 |
| 3 | Santander Private Banking International | $119,824 | $57.61 |
| 4 | RSM US | $116,552 | $56.03 |
| 5 | Morgan Stanley | $114,559 | $55.08 |
| 6 | Santander Bank | $113,391 | $54.51 |
| 7 | E*TRADE | $108,706 | $52.26 |
| 8 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $108,407 | $52.12 |
| 9 | Robert Half | $103,381 | $49.70 |
| 10 | Pegasus | $102,874 | $49.46 |
| 11 | NowSecure | $101,912 | $49.00 |
| 12 | Katmai Careers | $100,703 | $48.41 |
| 13 | DIVERSANT | $99,038 | $47.61 |
| 14 | New York Community Bank | $99,014 | $47.60 |
| 15 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $98,829 | $47.51 |
| 16 | Everest Holdings LLC | $98,543 | $47.38 |
| 17 | CVS Health | $97,891 | $47.06 |
| 18 | Catapult Consultants | $97,755 | $47.00 |
| 19 | National Grid plc | $94,869 | $45.61 |
| 20 | Sigma | $94,030 | $45.21 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Application Tester salary by industry
The average application tester salary varies across industries:
- The average application tester salary in the finance industry is $101,988, the highest of any industry.
- The average application tester salary in the finance industry is $96,777.
- Application testers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $90,584, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for application testers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $101,988 | $49.03 |
| 2 | Start-up | $96,777 | $46.53 |
| 3 | Professional | $92,975 | $44.70 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $91,358 | $43.92 |
| 5 | Technology | $90,584 | $43.55 |
High paying application tester jobs
Application tester salary trends
The average application tester salary has risen by $14,542 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average application tester earned $74,293 annually, but today, they earn $88,835 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for application testers over the last decade.
Compare application tester salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average application tester salary over time
Compare application tester salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Application tester salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,800 | $42.71 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $85,900 | $41.30 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $84,000 | $40.37 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $82,300 | $39.58 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $80,500 | $38.69 | +1.5% |
Recently added application tester salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perspecta | Software Application Tester | West Virginia | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Locke and McCloud | Web Application Penetration Tester | Lehi, UT | 06/27/2025 | $80,000 |
| Locke and McCloud | Web Application Penetration Tester | Boise, ID | 06/27/2025 | $80,000 |
| Peraton | Software Application Tester | Ranson, WV | 06/15/2025 | $80,000 |
| M&T Bank | Lead Web Application Penetration Tester | Wilmington, DE | 06/12/2025 | $121,699 |
| Independent Security Evaluators | Continuous Opening: Senior Application Security Pentester Remote | Baltimore, MD | 06/12/2025 | $115,000 |
| Gusto | Application Security Tester | Miami, FL | 06/09/2025 | $178,000 |
| Synergistic Systems | Application Security Penetration Tester | Jersey City, NJ | 06/02/2025 | $125,220 |
| Akkodis | Application Penetration Tester 3 | Washington, DC | 05/28/2025 | $120,000 |
| Dish Network Corporation | Application Experience Tester II, Wireless UAT | Englewood, CO | 05/22/2025 | $63,150 |
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