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Lead quality engineer salary

Average lead quality engineer salary

$104,296

$50.14 hourly rate

Entry-level lead quality engineer salary
$80,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Lead Quality Engineer Salary Overview

The average salary for a Lead Quality Engineer stands at $104,296 annually as of October 2025. This figure represents the median pay, showcasing the importance of this role in maintaining quality standards in various sectors, including manufacturing and software development.

In addition to the base salary, factors like geographic location, years of experience, and industry can significantly influence earnings. For example, Lead Quality Engineers in technology hubs may command higher salaries due to the demand for skilled professionals in those areas.

Top Paying States

States such as California, New York, and Texas are known for offering higher salaries for Lead Quality Engineers, reflecting the cost of living and competitive job markets. Understanding these regional salary differences can aid job seekers in making informed career decisions.

Salary by Industry

Industries like information technology and pharmaceuticals tend to offer the highest salaries, making them attractive sectors for engineers focused on quality assurance.

Thus, for those considering a career as a Lead Quality Engineer, staying informed about salary trends and regional differences is essential for maximizing career potential.

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Where can a Lead Quality Engineer earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
154k
134k
114k
94k
74k
54k
Columbus, OH$139,380
Brookfield, WI$84,441
Compare salary by company
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187k
167k
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Google$176,333
Williams Sonoma$117,148

Lead quality engineer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a lead quality engineer typically falls between $77,637 and $120,228.
zippia
$104,296yearly
glassdoor[1]
$120,228yearly
comparably[2]
$77,637yearly
Salary.com[3]
$85,741yearly
payscale[4]
$87,429yearly

Average lead quality engineer salary by state

The highest-paying states for lead quality engineers are California, Oregon, and Washington. The lowest average lead quality engineer salary states are Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Ohio.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for lead quality engineers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$128,241$61.65
2Oregon$117,188$56.34
3Washington$116,945$56.22
4Nevada$109,295$52.55
5Utah$109,829$52.80
6Massachusetts$114,590$55.09
7Montana$104,473$50.23
8New Jersey$116,023$55.78
9Rhode Island$107,043$51.46
10Wyoming$109,734$52.76
11Idaho$101,961$49.02
12Oklahoma$104,962$50.46
13Arizona$104,666$50.32
14New York$111,798$53.75
15Maryland$110,555$53.15
16New Mexico$101,355$48.73
17Minnesota$104,351$50.17
18Colorado$105,647$50.79
19Michigan$96,554$46.42
20Arkansas$95,872$46.09
21Louisiana$103,781$49.89
22Texas$101,189$48.65
23Connecticut$108,443$52.14
24Virginia$102,360$49.21
25Florida$103,526$49.77
26District of Columbia$101,034$48.57
27Iowa$99,091$47.64
28Delaware$99,128$47.66
29Alaska$96,964$46.62
30Nebraska$91,858$44.16
31South Carolina$98,538$47.37
32Maine$97,823$47.03
33Illinois$98,730$47.47
34New Hampshire$91,517$44.00
35Mississippi$97,166$46.71
36Tennessee$93,389$44.90
37Kansas$89,384$42.97
38Alabama$93,320$44.87
39South Dakota$89,140$42.86
40West Virginia$91,867$44.17
41Indiana$88,015$42.31
42North Carolina$87,296$41.97
43North Dakota$89,667$43.11
44Missouri$93,513$44.96
45Georgia$91,854$44.16
46Ohio$86,878$41.77
47Pennsylvania$87,677$42.15
48Hawaii$93,445$44.93
49Wisconsin$84,499$40.62
50Vermont$84,029$40.40
51Kentucky$79,702$38.32

Highest paying cities for lead quality engineers

The highest-paying cities for lead quality engineers are San Francisco, CA, Beaverton, OR, and Boston, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$139,380$67.01
2Beaverton, OR$117,287$56.39
3Boston, MA$114,682$55.14
4New York, NY$111,947$53.82
5Denver, CO$105,623$50.78
6Phoenix, AZ$104,811$50.39
7Fridley, MN$104,381$50.18
8Deerfield Beach, FL$103,268$49.65
9Arlington, VA$103,222$49.63
10San Antonio, TX$101,905$48.99
11Cedar Rapids, IA$99,410$47.79
12Arlington Heights, IL$99,010$47.60
13Omaha, NE$91,869$44.17
14Atlanta, GA$91,821$44.14
15Leawood, KS$89,470$43.01
16Philadelphia, PA$88,012$42.31
17Charlotte, NC$86,531$41.60
18Cincinnati, OH$85,539$41.12
19Brookfield, WI$84,441$40.60

Lead quality engineer salary details

A lead quality engineer's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average lead quality engineer salary graph
Average lead quality engineer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a lead quality engineer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$135,000$11,250$65
75th Percentile$119,000$9,917$57
Average$104,296$8,691$50
25th Percentile$91,000$7,583$44
10th Percentile$80,000$6,667$38

Highest paying lead quality engineer jobs

The highest paying types of lead quality engineers are manager, quality engineer, project lead engineer, and senior quality assurance engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Quality Supervisor$60,486$5,041$29.0861,400
Process Engineer$82,443$6,870$39.6466,937
Technical Services Engineer$81,204$6,767$39.04217,103
Quality Lead$90,301$7,525$43.4162,018
Engineer$92,076$7,673$44.27618,207
Quality Technician$37,007$3,084$17.7980,291

Top companies hiring lead quality engineers now:

  1. Adobe jobs (12)
  2. BigCommerce jobs (11)
  3. Williams Sonoma jobs (6)
  4. General Motors jobs (7)
  5. General Electric jobs (20)

Which companies pay lead quality engineers the most?

Lead quality engineer salaries at Google and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead quality engineer salary at companies like Amazon and Cohesity are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Google$176,333$84.78
2Apple$152,626$73.38
3Amazon$136,856$65.80
4Cohesity$134,137$64.49
5ServiceNow$132,215$63.56
6Macy's$131,665$63.30
7Five Below$131,534$63.24
8Crestron Electronics$131,279$63.11
9Riverbed Holdings, Inc.$130,781$62.88
10American Eagle Outfitters$129,696$62.35
11BigCommerce$128,435$61.75
12Sephora$127,694$61.39
13Nike$126,025$60.59
14Barclays$125,491$60.33
15Rackspace$123,274$59.27
16Indeed$122,529$58.91
17NBCUniversal$122,264$58.78
18Volvo Trucks$119,914$57.65
19Foot Locker$117,418$56.45
20Williams Sonoma$117,148$56.32

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$107,000$106,400$105,800$105,200$104,600$104,000
MaleFemale

Lead Quality Engineer salary by industry

The average lead quality engineer salary varies across industries:

  • The average lead quality engineer salary in the hospitality industry is $106,994, the highest of any industry.
  • The average lead quality engineer salary in the finance industry is $103,345.
  • Lead quality engineers in the automotive industry earn an average salary of $92,460, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for lead quality engineers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Hospitality$106,994$51.44
2Technology$103,345$49.69
3Manufacturing$99,930$48.04
4Transportation$95,723$46.02
5Automotive$92,460$44.45

High paying lead quality engineer jobs

Lead quality engineer salary trends

The average lead quality engineer salary has risen by $13,730 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead quality engineer earned $90,566 annually, but today, they earn $104,296 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for lead quality engineers over the last decade.

Compare lead quality engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average lead quality engineer salary over time

Compare lead quality engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Lead quality engineer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$104,000$50.14+1.0%
2025$103,000$49.62+1.1%
2024$102,000$49.07+1.3%
2023$101,000$48.41+1.8%
2022$98,900$47.53+1.0%

Recently added lead quality engineer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Planet PaymentQuality Engineer LeadSan Francisco, CA06/29/2025$128,400
Third PartyNGS Data Quality Engineer LeadInglewood, CA06/28/2025$62,610
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Richmond, VA06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Columbus, OH06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Boise, ID06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Portland, OR06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Detroit, MI06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Omaha, NE06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Huntsville, AL06/26/2025$88,600
DeloitteLead Quality Engineer (Test Automation)Tulsa, OK06/26/2025$88,600

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