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Quality assurance scientist salary

Average quality assurance scientist salary

$68,108

$32.74 hourly rate

Entry-level quality assurance scientist salary
$49,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Quality Assurance Scientist Salary Overview

The average salary for a Quality Assurance Scientist stands at $68,108 per year. This figure represents the median earnings across various industries and locations in the United States. Factors that influence salary include geographic location, years of experience, and the specific sector in which a scientist works.

Salary Variations by State

In states such as California and New York, salaries tend to be higher due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. For example, Quality Assurance Scientists in California can expect salaries upwards of $80,000, reflecting the state's competitive job market.

Industry Impact on Earnings

Industries like biotechnology and pharmaceuticals often offer higher salaries compared to other fields. Those working in these sectors may find themselves earning significantly more, with some positions exceeding $90,000 annually. Understanding the broader salary landscape can guide you in making informed career decisions and pursuing opportunities that align with your financial goals.

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Where can a Quality Assurance Scientist earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
102k
82k
62k
42k
22k
Columbus, OH$85,143
Edison, NJ$51,547
Compare salary by company
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93k
73k
53k
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Lantheus$80,706
Meridian Bioscience$62,831

Quality assurance scientist salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for a quality assurance scientist typically falls between $68,108 and $74,199.
zippia
$68,108yearly
glassdoor[1]
$74,199yearly
ZipRecruiter[2]
$72,043yearly

Average quality assurance scientist salary by state

The average quality assurance scientist salary in New York, New Hampshire, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average quality assurance scientist salary states are New Jersey, Missouri, and Utah.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for quality assurance scientists

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Hampshire$82,401$39.62
2Wisconsin$78,379$37.68
3New York$84,920$40.83
4North Dakota$79,095$38.03
5Vermont$77,514$37.27
6Rhode Island$77,180$37.11
7North Carolina$74,121$35.64
8Maine$78,261$37.63
9Connecticut$75,269$36.19
10Washington$81,796$39.33
11Maryland$76,508$36.78
12District of Columbia$89,441$43.00
13Massachusetts$75,494$36.30
14Virginia$69,921$33.62
15California$71,739$34.49
16Indiana$66,259$31.86
17Minnesota$68,591$32.98
18Kentucky$66,756$32.09
19Colorado$69,600$33.46
20Wyoming$65,921$31.69
21South Dakota$65,683$31.58
22Nebraska$66,818$32.12
23New Mexico$65,300$31.39
24South Carolina$65,748$31.61
25Ohio$64,170$30.85
26Montana$66,409$31.93
27Texas$65,068$31.28
28Georgia$66,371$31.91
29Arkansas$64,985$31.24
30Pennsylvania$62,217$29.91
31Oklahoma$65,406$31.45
32Iowa$63,444$30.50
33Illinois$62,454$30.03
34Oregon$61,348$29.49
35Alaska$60,743$29.20
36Idaho$62,351$29.98
37Michigan$63,026$30.30
38Alabama$62,978$30.28
39Arizona$60,349$29.01
40West Virginia$60,879$29.27
41Delaware$51,197$24.61
42Louisiana$63,578$30.57
43Utah$51,251$24.64
44New Jersey$51,555$24.79
45Hawaii$56,716$27.27
46Florida$56,425$27.13
47Kansas$55,103$26.49
48Tennessee$52,314$25.15
49Missouri$51,370$24.70
50Nevada$49,391$23.75
51Mississippi$49,795$23.94

Highest paying cities for quality assurance scientists

The highest-paying cities for quality assurance scientists are Central Islip, NY, Olympia, WA, and Alameda, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Central Islip, NY$85,143$40.93
2Olympia, WA$82,831$39.82
3Alameda, CA$78,151$37.57
4Madison, WI$77,961$37.48
5Gaithersburg, MD$76,377$36.72
6Boston, MA$75,521$36.31
7Hartford, CT$75,360$36.23
8Richmond, VA$69,884$33.60
9Minneapolis, MN$68,580$32.97
10Indianapolis, IN$66,169$31.81
11Austin, TX$65,195$31.34
12San Juan, PR$63,418$30.49
13Jacksonville, FL$56,843$27.33
14Saint Louis, MO$51,697$24.85
15Edison, NJ$51,547$24.78

Quality assurance scientist salary details

A quality assurance scientist's salary ranges from $49,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average quality assurance scientist salary graph
Average quality assurance scientist salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a quality assurance scientist's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$93,000$7,750$45
75th Percentile$80,000$6,667$38
Average$68,108$5,676$33
25th Percentile$57,000$4,750$27
10th Percentile$49,000$4,083$24

Highest paying quality assurance scientist jobs

The highest paying types of quality assurance scientists are quality assurance manager, scientist, and research and development scientist.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Chemist$64,961$5,413$31.2320,221
Research And Development Chemist$77,233$6,436$37.13100,225
Quality Control Coordinator$49,894$4,158$23.9988,145
Quality Control$32,824$2,735$15.7883,496
Quality Control Analyst$59,217$4,935$28.4785,546
Research And Development Scientist$90,278$7,523$43.40129,803

Top companies hiring quality assurance scientists now:

  1. Bristol-Myers Squibb jobs (14)
  2. Lantheus jobs (9)
  3. Thermo Fisher Scientific jobs (6)
  4. Promega jobs (3)
  5. Bayer jobs (9)

Which companies pay quality assurance scientists the most?

Quality assurance scientist salaries at Lantheus and Thermo Fisher Scientific are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality assurance scientist salary at companies like Los Alamos National Laboratory and Promega are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Lantheus$80,706$38.80
2Thermo Fisher Scientific$79,175$38.06
3Los Alamos National Laboratory$77,999$37.50
4Promega$74,138$35.64
5Neutrogena$73,916$35.54
6AECOM$72,808$35.00
7Invagen Pharmaceuticals Inc.$71,586$34.42
8Eurofins$71,119$34.19
9BACHEM HOLDING$70,268$33.78
10Fits Inc$70,120$33.71
11Altria$69,699$33.51
12Lilly & Company$69,540$33.43
13Sigma-Aldrich$69,016$33.18
14E. & J. Gallo Winery$69,010$33.18
15FIT$68,800$33.08
16Frito-Lay$67,875$32.63
17Passy-Muir$67,028$32.23
18Zoetis$66,304$31.88
19Randstad North America, Inc.$64,895$31.20
20Meridian Bioscience$62,831$30.21

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$74,000$73,200$72,400$71,600$70,800$70,000
MaleFemale

Quality Assurance Scientist salary by industry

The average quality assurance scientist salary varies across industries:

  • The average quality assurance scientist salary in the manufacturing industry is $72,744, the highest of any industry.
  • The average quality assurance scientist salary in the finance industry is $71,684.
  • Quality assurance scientists in the retail industry earn an average salary of $66,819, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for quality assurance scientists

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Manufacturing$72,744$34.97
2Pharmaceutical$71,684$34.46
3Health Care$69,815$33.56
4Retail$66,819$32.12

High paying quality assurance scientist jobs

Quality assurance scientist salary trends

The average quality assurance scientist salary has risen by $12,126 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality assurance scientist earned $55,982 annually, but today, they earn $68,108 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for quality assurance scientists over the last decade.

Compare quality assurance scientist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average quality assurance scientist salary over time

Compare quality assurance scientist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Quality assurance scientist salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$68,100$32.74+3.6%
2025$65,600$31.55+1.7%
2024$64,500$31.00+3.2%
2023$62,400$30.02+4.3%
2022$59,800$28.74+1.6%

Recently added quality assurance scientist salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
ActalentQuality ScientistJessup, MD06/28/2025$37,566
State of ColoradoQuality Assurance Scientist (Psrsi)Boone, CO06/27/2025$67,668
Firstcarbon SolutionsAir Quality Ceqa ScientistIrvine, CA06/10/2025$60,000
LillyScientist-QA Floor SupportIndianapolis, IN05/13/2025$63,000
Eli Lilly and CompanyScientist-QA Floor SupportIndianapolis, IN05/12/2025$63,000
Firstcarbon SolutionsAir Quality Ceqa ScientistIrvine, CA05/12/2025$60,000
Master Elite SpiceQuality ScientistJessup, MD05/10/2025$37,566
Yum! Brands, Inc.Quality ScientistIrvine, CA05/08/2025$86,300
Sila NanotechnologiesQuality ScientistMoses Lake, WA04/28/2025$103,000
Firstcarbon SolutionsAir Quality Ceqa ScientistSan Jose, CA04/28/2025$60,000

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