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The average salary for a Junior Quality Assurance Engineer is $69,173 per year. This figure varies based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, junior engineers in tech hubs often earn more due to the competitive nature of the job market.
In states like California and New York, salaries tend to be higher than the national average. Cities such as San Francisco and New York City are among the highest-paying locations for this role. Engineers working in industries like software development and finance typically see better compensation compared to those in less lucrative sectors.
As a Junior Quality Assurance Engineer, your responsibilities may include testing software, identifying bugs, and collaborating with development teams. Job opportunities are abundant across various sectors, and gaining experience can lead to higher-paying roles, such as Senior QA Engineer or QA Manager.
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The highest-paying states for junior quality assurance engineers are New Hampshire, California, and New Jersey. The lowest average junior quality assurance engineer salary states are Kentucky, Maryland, and Ohio.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | $85,164 | $40.94 |
| 2 | Washington | $78,486 | $37.73 |
| 3 | California | $80,962 | $38.92 |
| 4 | Delaware | $72,994 | $35.09 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $78,658 | $37.82 |
| 6 | Wyoming | $69,668 | $33.49 |
| 7 | Oregon | $73,241 | $35.21 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $75,606 | $36.35 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $73,311 | $35.25 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | $71,431 | $34.34 |
| 11 | Maine | $72,587 | $34.90 |
| 12 | Michigan | $68,487 | $32.93 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $68,026 | $32.70 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $71,224 | $34.24 |
| 15 | Arizona | $69,185 | $33.26 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $68,052 | $32.72 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $68,861 | $33.11 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $70,801 | $34.04 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $69,059 | $33.20 |
| 20 | New York | $73,101 | $35.14 |
| 21 | Illinois | $68,125 | $32.75 |
| 22 | Arkansas | $67,148 | $32.28 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $67,552 | $32.48 |
| 24 | Georgia | $67,556 | $32.48 |
| 25 | Iowa | $66,865 | $32.15 |
| 26 | Colorado | $66,884 | $32.16 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $66,310 | $31.88 |
| 28 | Nevada | $66,931 | $32.18 |
| 29 | Alaska | $68,477 | $32.92 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $64,960 | $31.23 |
| 31 | Texas | $64,743 | $31.13 |
| 32 | Indiana | $62,551 | $30.07 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $66,575 | $32.01 |
| 34 | Idaho | $64,817 | $31.16 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $63,996 | $30.77 |
| 36 | Utah | $63,068 | $30.32 |
| 37 | Vermont | $63,222 | $30.40 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $66,043 | $31.75 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $66,749 | $32.09 |
| 40 | Virginia | $62,230 | $29.92 |
| 41 | Missouri | $66,110 | $31.78 |
| 42 | Montana | $65,371 | $31.43 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $61,416 | $29.53 |
| 44 | Maryland | $61,259 | $29.45 |
| 45 | Ohio | $61,177 | $29.41 |
| 46 | Florida | $63,101 | $30.34 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $62,290 | $29.95 |
| 48 | Alabama | $57,663 | $27.72 |
| 49 | Kansas | $61,667 | $29.65 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $59,847 | $28.77 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $58,306 | $28.03 |
The highest-paying cities for junior quality assurance engineers are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $88,535 | $42.56 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $75,595 | $36.34 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $73,405 | $35.29 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $73,178 | $35.18 |
| 5 | Greenwich, CT | $70,604 | $33.94 |
| 6 | Scottsdale, AZ | $69,204 | $33.27 |
| 7 | Raleigh, NC | $68,293 | $32.83 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $68,206 | $32.79 |
| 9 | Grand Rapids, MI | $68,073 | $32.73 |
| 10 | Alpharetta, GA | $67,814 | $32.60 |
| 11 | Englewood, CO | $66,952 | $32.19 |
| 12 | McKinney, TX | $65,184 | $31.34 |
| 13 | Jacksonville, FL | $64,514 | $31.02 |
| 14 | Arlington, VA | $62,945 | $30.26 |
| 15 | Cleveland, OH | $61,560 | $29.60 |
| 16 | Baltimore, MD | $61,393 | $29.52 |
A junior quality assurance engineer's salary ranges from $53,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 75th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| Average | $69,173 | $5,764 | $33 |
| 25th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
The highest paying types of junior quality assurance engineers are engineer lead quality assurance lead, senior quality assurance engineer, and software quality engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems Tester | $95,834 | $7,986 | $46.07 | 112,985 |
| Functional Tester | $76,647 | $6,387 | $36.85 | 37,146 |
| Quality Analyst | $71,957 | $5,996 | $34.59 | 110,980 |
| Test Engineer | $79,832 | $6,653 | $38.38 | 228,974 |
| Quality Assurance Representative | $43,867 | $3,656 | $21.09 | 69,120 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $73,532 | $6,128 | $35.35 | 108,078 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for junior quality assurance engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring junior quality assurance engineers now:
Junior quality assurance engineer salaries at Interactive Brokers and Zscaler are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average junior quality assurance engineer salary at companies like Juniper Networks and Dotdash are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interactive Brokers | $99,023 | $47.61 |
| 2 | Zscaler | $93,992 | $45.19 |
| 3 | Juniper Networks | $92,879 | $44.65 |
| 4 | Dotdash | $92,305 | $44.38 |
| 5 | Nisum | $80,735 | $38.81 |
| 6 | John Deere | $80,208 | $38.56 |
| 7 | Draper | $74,619 | $35.87 |
| 8 | Alliance Global Services | $74,056 | $35.60 |
| 9 | Cross Mediaworks | $73,930 | $35.54 |
| 10 | Wolfram | $73,509 | $35.34 |
| 11 | MRI Software | $72,536 | $34.87 |
| 12 | Forescout | $72,498 | $34.85 |
| 13 | Copart | $72,369 | $34.79 |
| 14 | SHI International | $71,965 | $34.60 |
| 15 | Newt Global Consulting | $70,368 | $33.83 |
| 16 | BetterHelp | $70,302 | $33.80 |
| 17 | Questex | $70,171 | $33.74 |
| 18 | ALTEN Cresttek - An ALTEN Group | $70,156 | $33.73 |
| 19 | Vormetric Inc | $70,156 | $33.73 |
| 20 | JMA Wireless | $69,935 | $33.62 |
The average junior quality assurance engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $71,853 | $34.54 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $71,369 | $34.31 |
| 3 | Media | $69,505 | $33.42 |
| 4 | Professional | $68,591 | $32.98 |
| 5 | Start-up | $68,509 | $32.94 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $67,924 | $32.66 |
The average junior quality assurance engineer salary has risen by $11,323 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average junior quality assurance engineer earned $57,850 annually, but today, they earn $69,173 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for junior quality assurance engineers over the last decade.
Compare junior quality assurance engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare junior quality assurance engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $69,200 | $33.26 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $66,900 | $32.16 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $65,400 | $31.43 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $64,100 | $30.82 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $62,700 | $30.12 | +1.5% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilending | Junior QA Automation Engineer | Englewood, CO | 06/28/2025 | $70,000 |
| Actalent | JR Software Quality Assurance Engineer-Avionics Manufacturing | Pasadena, CA | 05/24/2025 | $93,915 |
| Northrop Grumman | Engineer Software Quality Junior 2 | San Diego, CA | 05/21/2025 | $81,300 |
| Mirion Technologies Inc. | JR. Quality Assurance Engineer | Horseheads, NY | 04/15/2025 | $45,000 |
| Mirion Technologies Jobs | JR. Quality Assurance Engineer | Horseheads, NY | 03/22/2025 | $45,000 |
| Onezero Makes Inc. | Junior Sdet Quality Assurance Engineer | Somerville, MA | 02/18/2025 | $70,000 |
| Pantheon Data | Junior QA Engineer | Charlotte, NC | 02/17/2025 | $100,000 |
| Northrop Grumman | Engineer Mission Assurance Junior or Senior | West Virginia | 02/16/2025 | $62,200 |
| Onezero Financial Systems | Junior Sdet Quality Assurance Engineer | Somerville, MA | 01/24/2025 | $70,000 |
| Northrop Grumman | Mission Assurance Engineer Junior 2 | Clearfield, UT | 12/10/2024 | $60,600 |
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