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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.
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.
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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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.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $128,241 | $61.65 |
| 2 | Oregon | $117,188 | $56.34 |
| 3 | Washington | $116,945 | $56.22 |
| 4 | Nevada | $109,295 | $52.55 |
| 5 | Utah | $109,829 | $52.80 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $114,590 | $55.09 |
| 7 | Montana | $104,473 | $50.23 |
| 8 | New Jersey | $116,023 | $55.78 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $107,043 | $51.46 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $109,734 | $52.76 |
| 11 | Idaho | $101,961 | $49.02 |
| 12 | Oklahoma | $104,962 | $50.46 |
| 13 | Arizona | $104,666 | $50.32 |
| 14 | New York | $111,798 | $53.75 |
| 15 | Maryland | $110,555 | $53.15 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $101,355 | $48.73 |
| 17 | Minnesota | $104,351 | $50.17 |
| 18 | Colorado | $105,647 | $50.79 |
| 19 | Michigan | $96,554 | $46.42 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $95,872 | $46.09 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $103,781 | $49.89 |
| 22 | Texas | $101,189 | $48.65 |
| 23 | Connecticut | $108,443 | $52.14 |
| 24 | Virginia | $102,360 | $49.21 |
| 25 | Florida | $103,526 | $49.77 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $101,034 | $48.57 |
| 27 | Iowa | $99,091 | $47.64 |
| 28 | Delaware | $99,128 | $47.66 |
| 29 | Alaska | $96,964 | $46.62 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $91,858 | $44.16 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $98,538 | $47.37 |
| 32 | Maine | $97,823 | $47.03 |
| 33 | Illinois | $98,730 | $47.47 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $91,517 | $44.00 |
| 35 | Mississippi | $97,166 | $46.71 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $93,389 | $44.90 |
| 37 | Kansas | $89,384 | $42.97 |
| 38 | Alabama | $93,320 | $44.87 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $89,140 | $42.86 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $91,867 | $44.17 |
| 41 | Indiana | $88,015 | $42.31 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $87,296 | $41.97 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $89,667 | $43.11 |
| 44 | Missouri | $93,513 | $44.96 |
| 45 | Georgia | $91,854 | $44.16 |
| 46 | Ohio | $86,878 | $41.77 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | $87,677 | $42.15 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $93,445 | $44.93 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $84,499 | $40.62 |
| 50 | Vermont | $84,029 | $40.40 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $79,702 | $38.32 |
The highest-paying cities for lead quality engineers are San Francisco, CA, Beaverton, OR, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $139,380 | $67.01 |
| 2 | Beaverton, OR | $117,287 | $56.39 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $114,682 | $55.14 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $111,947 | $53.82 |
| 5 | Denver, CO | $105,623 | $50.78 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $104,811 | $50.39 |
| 7 | Fridley, MN | $104,381 | $50.18 |
| 8 | Deerfield Beach, FL | $103,268 | $49.65 |
| 9 | Arlington, VA | $103,222 | $49.63 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | $101,905 | $48.99 |
| 11 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $99,410 | $47.79 |
| 12 | Arlington Heights, IL | $99,010 | $47.60 |
| 13 | Omaha, NE | $91,869 | $44.17 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $91,821 | $44.14 |
| 15 | Leawood, KS | $89,470 | $43.01 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $88,012 | $42.31 |
| 17 | Charlotte, NC | $86,531 | $41.60 |
| 18 | Cincinnati, OH | $85,539 | $41.12 |
| 19 | Brookfield, WI | $84,441 | $40.60 |
A lead quality engineer's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $135,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly 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 |
The highest paying types of lead quality engineers are manager, quality engineer, project lead engineer, and senior quality assurance engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Supervisor | $60,486 | $5,041 | $29.08 | 61,400 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Technical Services Engineer | $81,204 | $6,767 | $39.04 | 217,103 |
| Quality Lead | $90,301 | $7,525 | $43.41 | 62,018 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Quality Technician | $37,007 | $3,084 | $17.79 | 80,291 |
Top companies hiring lead quality engineers now:
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.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $176,333 | $84.78 | |
| 2 | Apple | $152,626 | $73.38 |
| 3 | Amazon | $136,856 | $65.80 |
| 4 | Cohesity | $134,137 | $64.49 |
| 5 | ServiceNow | $132,215 | $63.56 |
| 6 | Macy's | $131,665 | $63.30 |
| 7 | Five Below | $131,534 | $63.24 |
| 8 | Crestron Electronics | $131,279 | $63.11 |
| 9 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $130,781 | $62.88 |
| 10 | American Eagle Outfitters | $129,696 | $62.35 |
| 11 | BigCommerce | $128,435 | $61.75 |
| 12 | Sephora | $127,694 | $61.39 |
| 13 | Nike | $126,025 | $60.59 |
| 14 | Barclays | $125,491 | $60.33 |
| 15 | Rackspace | $123,274 | $59.27 |
| 16 | Indeed | $122,529 | $58.91 |
| 17 | NBCUniversal | $122,264 | $58.78 |
| 18 | Volvo Trucks | $119,914 | $57.65 |
| 19 | Foot Locker | $117,418 | $56.45 |
| 20 | Williams Sonoma | $117,148 | $56.32 |
The average lead quality engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | $106,994 | $51.44 |
| 2 | Technology | $103,345 | $49.69 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $99,930 | $48.04 |
| 4 | Transportation | $95,723 | $46.02 |
| 5 | Automotive | $92,460 | $44.45 |
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.
Compare lead quality engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly 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% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet Payment | Quality Engineer Lead | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $128,400 |
| Third Party | NGS Data Quality Engineer Lead | Inglewood, CA | 06/28/2025 | $62,610 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Richmond, VA | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Columbus, OH | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Boise, ID | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Portland, OR | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Detroit, MI | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Omaha, NE | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Huntsville, AL | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
| Deloitte | Lead Quality Engineer (Test Automation) | Tulsa, OK | 06/26/2025 | $88,600 |
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