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The average salary for a Quality Assurance Engineer in the United States is $82,215 annually, or about $40 per hour. Salaries vary significantly based on factors such as experience, location, and the industry of employment. Entry-level positions typically start lower, while experienced professionals can earn much more.
Quality Assurance Engineers earn higher salaries in certain states. For instance, states like California and Washington often offer top salaries due to the high demand for tech professionals. Understanding regional salary trends can help you target your job search effectively.
Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare tend to pay more for quality assurance roles. Exploring job openings in these sectors can lead to lucrative opportunities. Additionally, many companies offer benefits beyond salary, including flexible work hours and professional development programs, enhancing overall job satisfaction.
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The average quality assurance engineer salary in California, Washington, and New Hampshire are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average quality assurance engineer salary states are Montana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $90,816 | $43.66 |
| 2 | California | $98,007 | $47.12 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $89,879 | $43.21 |
| 4 | Virginia | $82,028 | $39.44 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $78,433 | $37.71 |
| 6 | Maryland | $85,731 | $41.22 |
| 7 | Vermont | $78,737 | $37.85 |
| 8 | Oregon | $79,688 | $38.31 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | $78,772 | $37.87 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $81,586 | $39.22 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $87,295 | $41.97 |
| 12 | New Jersey | $83,717 | $40.25 |
| 13 | Utah | $74,673 | $35.90 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $74,788 | $35.96 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $81,221 | $39.05 |
| 16 | Arizona | $76,815 | $36.93 |
| 17 | Delaware | $77,439 | $37.23 |
| 18 | Nevada | $77,615 | $37.31 |
| 19 | New York | $82,103 | $39.47 |
| 20 | Ohio | $73,778 | $35.47 |
| 21 | Michigan | $72,633 | $34.92 |
| 22 | Maine | $74,980 | $36.05 |
| 23 | Texas | $73,699 | $35.43 |
| 24 | Indiana | $70,970 | $34.12 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $71,379 | $34.32 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $73,522 | $35.35 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $74,084 | $35.62 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $72,619 | $34.91 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $71,589 | $34.42 |
| 30 | Illinois | $74,008 | $35.58 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $73,482 | $35.33 |
| 32 | Colorado | $72,518 | $34.86 |
| 33 | Idaho | $73,569 | $35.37 |
| 34 | Iowa | $71,762 | $34.50 |
| 35 | Wyoming | $69,906 | $33.61 |
| 36 | Alaska | $75,075 | $36.09 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $71,499 | $34.37 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $73,334 | $35.26 |
| 39 | Alabama | $69,300 | $33.32 |
| 40 | Georgia | $70,669 | $33.98 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $69,178 | $33.26 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $69,340 | $33.34 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $68,861 | $33.11 |
| 44 | Kansas | $69,449 | $33.39 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $68,210 | $32.79 |
| 46 | Montana | $68,626 | $32.99 |
| 47 | Missouri | $69,734 | $33.53 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $68,351 | $32.86 |
| 49 | Florida | $65,601 | $31.54 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $66,574 | $32.01 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $66,273 | $31.86 |
The highest-paying cities for quality assurance engineers are San Mateo, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo, CA | $106,268 | $51.09 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $91,326 | $43.91 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $87,266 | $41.95 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $83,857 | $40.32 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $82,303 | $39.57 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $81,571 | $39.22 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $79,259 | $38.11 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $76,913 | $36.98 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $75,675 | $36.38 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $74,361 | $35.75 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $74,275 | $35.71 |
| 12 | Columbus, OH | $73,460 | $35.32 |
| 13 | Bloomington, MN | $72,582 | $34.90 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | $72,447 | $34.83 |
| 15 | Omaha, NE | $71,597 | $34.42 |
| 16 | Alpharetta, GA | $70,869 | $34.07 |
| 17 | Columbus, IN | $70,750 | $34.01 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $70,149 | $33.73 |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL | $66,902 | $32.16 |
Quality Assurance Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
A quality assurance engineer's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $109,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| 75th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| Average | $82,215 | $6,851 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
| 10th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
The highest paying types of quality assurance engineers are engineer lead quality assurance lead, senior quality assurance analyst/lead, and senior quality assurance engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Tester | $78,580 | $6,548 | $37.78 | 208,853 |
| Quality Analyst | $71,957 | $5,996 | $34.59 | 110,980 |
| Test Engineer | $79,832 | $6,653 | $38.38 | 228,974 |
| System Test Engineer | $100,751 | $8,396 | $48.44 | 131,653 |
| Automation Engineer | $92,597 | $7,716 | $44.52 | 133,941 |
| Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead | $110,007 | $9,167 | $52.89 | 278,178 |
Top companies hiring quality assurance engineers now:
Quality assurance engineer salaries at The Citadel and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality assurance engineer salary at companies like Thrive Market and Meta are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Citadel | $143,959 | $69.21 |
| 2 | Apple | $134,504 | $64.67 |
| 3 | Thrive Market | $134,235 | $64.54 |
| 4 | Meta | $132,364 | $63.64 |
| 5 | Zoox | $130,160 | $62.58 |
| 6 | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | $129,392 | $62.21 |
| 7 | $129,076 | $62.06 | |
| 8 | Gilt | $128,755 | $61.90 |
| 9 | Lyft | $128,461 | $61.76 |
| 10 | PayPal | $127,980 | $61.53 |
| 11 | $127,837 | $61.46 | |
| 12 | First Republic Bank | $127,622 | $61.36 |
| 13 | Chegg | $127,475 | $61.29 |
| 14 | Amazon | $127,273 | $61.19 |
| 15 | Platfora | $127,071 | $61.09 |
| 16 | Stitch Fix | $126,969 | $61.04 |
| 17 | $126,545 | $60.84 | |
| 18 | NVIDIA | $126,537 | $60.84 |
| 19 | Brocade Services Corporation | $125,506 | $60.34 |
| 20 | Fungible | $125,448 | $60.31 |
The average quality assurance engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $100,740 | $48.43 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $95,763 | $46.04 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $85,831 | $41.26 |
| 4 | Finance | $85,651 | $41.18 |
The average quality assurance engineer salary has risen by $13,458 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality assurance engineer earned $68,757 annually, but today, they earn $82,215 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for quality assurance engineers over the last decade.
Compare quality assurance engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare quality assurance engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $82,200 | $39.53 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $79,500 | $38.22 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $77,700 | $37.36 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $76,200 | $36.63 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $74,500 | $35.80 | +1.5% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transperfect | QA Development Engineer | Day, NY | 06/30/2025 | $103,418 |
| Expeditors | Quality Assurance Engineer II-Exp.O Customs, IS Operational Experience | Seattle, WA | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Perspecta | Quality Assurance Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2025 | $104,000 |
| Healthcare Management Administrators Inc. | QA Engineer II | Ione, WA | 06/29/2025 | $106,000 |
| Xifin | Software Quality Assurance Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2025 | $90,304 |
| Sara Inc. | Software Quality Assurance Engineer | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2025 | $85,000 |
| Strata Decision Technology | Quality Assurance Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $68,000 |
| Actalent | USA-Quality Assurance Engineer I-CTQ | Milwaukee, WI | 06/29/2025 | $52,175 |
| Alphawave Ip Inc. | IC Design QA Engineer | San Jose, CA | 06/29/2025 | $155,000 |
| Abbott Laboratories | Engineer II, Supplier Quality Assurance | Pleasanton, CA | 06/28/2025 | $79,500 |
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