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The average salary for a Performance Test Engineer in the United States is $97,965 annually, equating to approximately $47 per hour. Salaries vary significantly based on geographic location, experience level, and the specific industry. States like California and New York tend to offer higher wages due to the cost of living and demand for tech professionals.
Performance Test Engineers often find the best opportunities in sectors such as software development, financial services, and telecommunications. Each industry presents distinct challenges and expectations, influencing compensation rates.
States like Washington and Massachusetts frequently report the highest salaries for this role. Candidates looking to maximize earnings should consider relocating to these areas or enhancing their skill set to meet industry demands.
For prospective Performance Test Engineers, understanding salary dynamics is crucial. By staying informed about industry trends and regional pay differences, candidates can negotiate better offers and align their career paths with financial goals.
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The highest-paying states for performance test engineers are California, Washington, and New Hampshire. The lowest average performance test engineer salary states are Vermont, Missouri, and New Mexico.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $113,726 | $54.68 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $107,904 | $51.88 |
| 3 | California | $115,018 | $55.30 |
| 4 | Delaware | $105,894 | $50.91 |
| 5 | Oregon | $104,524 | $50.25 |
| 6 | Utah | $99,154 | $47.67 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $98,597 | $47.40 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $102,835 | $49.44 |
| 9 | Michigan | $96,670 | $46.48 |
| 10 | Maine | $102,428 | $49.24 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $101,284 | $48.69 |
| 12 | Maryland | $101,561 | $48.83 |
| 13 | Alabama | $93,523 | $44.96 |
| 14 | Nevada | $95,878 | $46.10 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $97,185 | $46.72 |
| 16 | Colorado | $94,469 | $45.42 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $95,670 | $46.00 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $94,743 | $45.55 |
| 19 | Ohio | $93,853 | $45.12 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $93,386 | $44.90 |
| 21 | Minnesota | $94,954 | $45.65 |
| 22 | Alaska | $98,625 | $47.42 |
| 23 | Idaho | $93,562 | $44.98 |
| 24 | Texas | $92,491 | $44.47 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $97,480 | $46.87 |
| 26 | Montana | $94,172 | $45.27 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $90,259 | $43.39 |
| 28 | Rhode Island | $91,458 | $43.97 |
| 29 | Iowa | $91,567 | $44.02 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $90,743 | $43.63 |
| 31 | New York | $93,056 | $44.74 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $89,728 | $43.14 |
| 33 | Arizona | $89,601 | $43.08 |
| 34 | Indiana | $91,143 | $43.82 |
| 35 | Florida | $90,297 | $43.41 |
| 36 | Illinois | $92,354 | $44.40 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $89,708 | $43.13 |
| 38 | Georgia | $91,530 | $44.00 |
| 39 | Kansas | $90,218 | $43.37 |
| 40 | Virginia | $88,468 | $42.53 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $88,673 | $42.63 |
| 42 | Mississippi | $89,732 | $43.14 |
| 43 | Vermont | $84,160 | $40.46 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $87,356 | $42.00 |
| 45 | New Mexico | $82,313 | $39.57 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $87,876 | $42.25 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $86,772 | $41.72 |
| 48 | West Virginia | $79,751 | $38.34 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $81,739 | $39.30 |
| 50 | Missouri | $82,579 | $39.70 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $80,996 | $38.94 |
The highest-paying cities for performance test engineers are San Francisco, CA, Bothell, WA, and Merrimack, NH.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $127,353 | $61.23 |
| 2 | Bothell, WA | $114,651 | $55.12 |
| 3 | Merrimack, NH | $108,014 | $51.93 |
| 4 | Wilmington, DE | $106,006 | $50.96 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $102,912 | $49.48 |
| 6 | Salt Lake City, UT | $98,820 | $47.51 |
| 7 | Fairfield, CT | $97,171 | $46.72 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $95,732 | $46.02 |
| 9 | Eden Prairie, MN | $94,921 | $45.64 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $94,482 | $45.42 |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | $93,468 | $44.94 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $93,338 | $44.87 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $93,087 | $44.75 |
| 14 | Irving, TX | $93,009 | $44.72 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $92,494 | $44.47 |
| 16 | Alpharetta, GA | $91,733 | $44.10 |
| 17 | Durham, NC | $90,151 | $43.34 |
| 18 | Lenexa, KS | $90,108 | $43.32 |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | $89,850 | $43.20 |
| 20 | Weston, FL | $89,180 | $42.88 |
A performance test engineer's salary ranges from $75,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $127,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $127,000 | $10,583 | $61 |
| 75th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| Average | $97,965 | $8,164 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
The highest paying types of performance test engineers are engineer lead quality assurance lead, senior quality assurance engineer, and performance engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead | $110,007 | $9,167 | $52.89 | 278,178 |
| Test Analyst | $70,997 | $5,916 | $34.13 | 91,308 |
| Tester | $65,202 | $5,433 | $31.35 | 52,595 |
| ETL Tester | $80,801 | $6,733 | $38.85 | 35,095 |
| Functional Tester | $76,647 | $6,387 | $36.85 | 37,146 |
| Software Tester | $78,580 | $6,548 | $37.78 | 208,853 |
Top companies hiring performance test engineers now:
Performance test engineer salaries at Apple and Safeway are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average performance test engineer salary at companies like Citi and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $141,857 | $68.20 |
| 2 | Safeway | $134,060 | $64.45 |
| 3 | Citi | $123,911 | $59.57 |
| 4 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $122,918 | $59.10 |
| 5 | Navis | $116,084 | $55.81 |
| 6 | City National Bank | $115,836 | $55.69 |
| 7 | Kaplan | $111,521 | $53.62 |
| 8 | iHeartMedia | $110,439 | $53.10 |
| 9 | Amd | $110,136 | $52.95 |
| 10 | Cisco | $109,805 | $52.79 |
| 11 | Tesla | $108,728 | $52.27 |
| 12 | Northwest Evaluation Association | $108,580 | $52.20 |
| 13 | State Street | $108,516 | $52.17 |
| 14 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $107,939 | $51.89 |
| 15 | IPC Systems | $107,728 | $51.79 |
| 16 | Qualys | $107,254 | $51.56 |
| 17 | Zions Bank | $106,222 | $51.07 |
| 18 | Expedia Group | $105,971 | $50.95 |
| 19 | The Vanguard Group | $105,267 | $50.61 |
| 20 | Vanguard Services | $105,074 | $50.52 |
The average performance test engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | $105,148 | $50.55 |
| 2 | Automotive | $99,019 | $47.61 |
| 3 | Professional | $98,314 | $47.27 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $98,170 | $47.20 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $98,056 | $47.14 |
| 6 | Technology | $93,106 | $44.76 |
| 7 | Finance | $88,840 | $42.71 |
The average performance test engineer salary has risen by $16,036 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average performance test engineer earned $81,929 annually, but today, they earn $97,965 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for performance test engineers over the last decade.
Compare performance test engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare performance test engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $98,000 | $47.10 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $94,700 | $45.55 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $92,600 | $44.52 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $90,800 | $43.65 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $88,700 | $42.66 | +1.5% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actalent | Performance Test Engineer | Juno Beach, FL | 06/27/2025 | $135,655 |
| Insight Global | Solarperformance Test Engineer | Juno Beach, FL | 06/24/2025 | $104,350 |
| Steampunk | Performance Test Engineer | McLean, VA | 06/10/2025 | $90,000 |
| Caret | Load and Performance Test Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/03/2025 | $110,000 |
| Abacus Data Systems | Load and Performance Test Engineer | Ione, CA | 06/03/2025 | $110,000 |
| Kintec Search, Inc. | Performance Test Engineer | Lake Mary, FL | 05/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| Steampunk | Performance Test Engineer | McLean, VA | 04/28/2025 | $90,000 |
| Apple | Real-Time Communications Performance Test ENG. | San Diego, CA | 04/17/2025 | $112,300 |
| SOC Support Services | Performance Test Engineer | Newark, NJ | 04/11/2025 | $62,213 |
| Steampunk | Performance Test Engineer | McLean, VA | 03/27/2025 | $90,000 |
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