How much does a quality assurance tester make?

The average quality assurance tester salary in the United States is $74,140. Quality assurance tester salaries typically range between $55,000 and $99,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for quality assurance testers is $35.64 per hour. Quality assurance tester salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Quality assurance testers earn the highest average salary in Maryland.

Quality assurance tester salary

Q: What state pays Quality Assurance Testers the most?

Maryland pays Quality Assurance Testers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $85,769 per year, or $41.24 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a quality assurance tester?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a quality assurance tester if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Hampshire you should be paid close to $85,676 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Quality Assurance Tester?

A good starting salary for a quality assurance tester is $58,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a quality assurance tester in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for quality assurance testers is $74,641, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a quality assurance tester can vary by state.

Q: How much do QA testers make?

QA testers make $33 an hour on average. A quality assurance tester can make anywhere from $27-$35 an hour on average, with the pay rate differing between companies. Usually, larger software companies are willing to pay more for quality testing services, whereas smaller companies may opt to pay less per hour since they are still in the starting phases of their production.

Average quality assurance tester salary

$74,140

$35.64 hourly rate

Entry-level quality assurance tester salary

$55,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Quality Assurance Tester Salaries

The role of a Quality Assurance Tester is crucial in ensuring the quality of software products. As of October 2025, the average annual salary for this position is approximately $74,140, translating to about $36 per hour. Salaries can differ significantly based on the tester's experience, geographic location, and the industry they work in.

Salary Differences by State

Quality Assurance Testers in states like California, Washington, and New York tend to earn more than those in other regions, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. For instance, test engineers in California may earn upwards of $90,000, while those in lower-demand areas might see salaries closer to $60,000.

Industry Impact on Salary

Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare often offer the highest salaries for Quality Assurance Testers. In technology, for example, roles in software development firms may pay significantly more due to the critical nature of software quality in competitive markets.

By understanding these dynamics, job seekers can better navigate their career paths and seek opportunities that align with their financial goals.

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Quality assurance tester salary by:

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Where can a Quality Assurance Tester earn more?

Compare salary by location

98k

78k

58k

38k

Columbus, OH$85,753

Alpharetta, GA$68,091

Compare salary by company

141k

121k

101k

81k

61k

Apple$114,060

Ford Motor$90,638

Quality assurance tester salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and SalaryExpert, the average salary for a quality assurance tester typically falls between $69,957 and $89,636.

zippia

$74,140yearly

glassdoor[1]

$69,957yearly

indeed[2]

$78,158yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$89,636yearly

SalaryExpert[4]

$74,292yearly

Average quality assurance tester salary by state

The average quality assurance tester salary in Maryland, New Hampshire, and Vermont are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average quality assurance tester salary states are South Dakota, Arkansas, and Wyoming.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for quality assurance testers

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	New Hampshire	$85,676	$41.19
2	Vermont	$84,773	$40.76
3	Rhode Island	$83,219	$40.01
4	Maryland	$85,769	$41.24
5	Connecticut	$83,752	$40.27
6	Virginia	$79,987	$38.46
7	North Carolina	$74,257	$35.70
8	New Jersey	$80,562	$38.73
9	Pennsylvania	$74,504	$35.82
10	Delaware	$77,638	$37.33
11	California	$79,281	$38.12
12	Washington	$76,686	$36.87
13	District of Columbia	$81,972	$39.41
14	Kentucky	$72,850	$35.02
15	Massachusetts	$79,190	$38.07
16	Ohio	$72,023	$34.63
17	Maine	$73,104	$35.15
18	New York	$79,176	$38.07
19	South Carolina	$71,726	$34.48
20	Oregon	$73,002	$35.10
21	Kansas	$72,293	$34.76
22	Michigan	$69,169	$33.25
23	Indiana	$67,148	$32.28
24	Minnesota	$69,876	$33.59
25	Arizona	$69,793	$33.55
26	Nevada	$71,042	$34.15
27	Iowa	$68,898	$33.12
28	Colorado	$70,209	$33.75
29	Nebraska	$68,581	$32.97
30	Illinois	$70,499	$33.89
31	Wisconsin	$67,047	$32.23
32	Idaho	$69,892	$33.60
33	West Virginia	$66,841	$32.14
34	Missouri	$69,540	$33.43
35	Utah	$64,756	$31.13
36	Texas	$67,360	$32.38
37	Alabama	$66,292	$31.87
38	North Dakota	$65,184	$31.34
39	Tennessee	$65,489	$31.49
40	Alaska	$70,182	$33.74
41	Georgia	$67,421	$32.41
42	New Mexico	$65,906	$31.69
43	Mississippi	$64,944	$31.22
44	Wyoming	$62,178	$29.89
45	South Dakota	$64,333	$30.93
46	Oklahoma	$65,528	$31.50
47	Hawaii	$65,197	$31.34
48	Arkansas	$62,834	$30.21
49	Florida	$60,225	$28.95
50	Montana	$60,064	$28.88
51	Louisiana	$56,196	$27.02

Top quality assurance tester jobs near you

Highest paying cities for quality assurance testers

The highest-paying cities for quality assurance testers are San Francisco, CA, Rockville, MD, and Glastonbury, CT.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$85,753	$41.23
2	Rockville, MD	$85,500	$41.11
3	Glastonbury, CT	$83,893	$40.33
4	Washington, DC	$82,024	$39.43
5	Jersey City, NJ	$80,755	$38.82
6	McLean, VA	$80,520	$38.71
7	New York, NY	$79,353	$38.15
8	Boston, MA	$79,254	$38.10
9	Redmond, WA	$77,097	$37.07
10	Durham, NC	$75,133	$36.12
11	Philadelphia, PA	$75,095	$36.10
12	Portland, OR	$72,638	$34.92
13	Columbus, OH	$71,878	$34.56
14	Las Vegas, NV	$70,886	$34.08
15	Chicago, IL	$70,619	$33.95
16	Saint Louis, MO	$70,124	$33.71
17	Phoenix, AZ	$70,007	$33.66
18	Minneapolis, MN	$69,847	$33.58
19	Livonia, MI	$69,323	$33.33
20	Alpharetta, GA	$68,091	$32.74

Quality Assurance Testers are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Quality assurance tester salary details

A quality assurance tester's salary ranges from $55,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $99,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average quality assurance tester salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a quality assurance tester's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$99,000	$8,250	$48
75th Percentile	$86,000	$7,167	$41
Average	$74,140	$6,178	$36
25th Percentile	$63,000	$5,250	$30
10th Percentile	$55,000	$4,583	$26

Highest paying quality assurance tester jobs

The highest paying types of quality assurance testers are senior quality assurance analyst/lead, senior quality assurance engineer, and quality assurance team leader.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Tester	$65,202	$5,433	$31.35	52,595
ETL Tester	$80,801	$6,733	$38.85	35,095
Systems Tester	$95,834	$7,986	$46.07	112,985
Functional Tester	$76,647	$6,387	$36.85	37,146
Quality Analyst	$71,957	$5,996	$34.59	110,980
Quality Assurance Consultant	$86,486	$7,207	$41.58	91,395

Top companies hiring quality assurance testers now:

Which companies pay quality assurance testers the most?

Quality assurance tester salaries at Apple and Bloomberg are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality assurance tester salary at companies like Yummly and Citi are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Apple	$114,060	$54.84
2	Bloomberg	$105,379	$50.66
3	Yummly	$104,942	$50.45
4	Citi	$104,128	$50.06
5	Barclays	$103,631	$49.82
6	Cantaloupe	$102,669	$49.36
7	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group	$101,744	$48.92
8	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$98,704	$47.45
9	Berkshire Hathaway	$96,848	$46.56
10	Charles Schwab	$95,885	$46.10
11	Magellan Health	$95,521	$45.92
12	Costco Wholesale	$95,092	$45.72
13	Fuhu	$95,035	$45.69
14	Grandbridge Real Estate Capital	$94,484	$45.42
15	Jefferies	$93,933	$45.16
16	MassMutual	$93,205	$44.81
17	Cabela's	$91,235	$43.86
18	Wheels Up	$91,177	$43.84
19	Dollar Tree	$90,915	$43.71
20	Ford Motor	$90,638	$43.58

Wage gap by gender, race and education

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

MaleFemale

Quality Assurance Tester salary by industry

The average quality assurance tester salary varies across industries:

The average quality assurance tester salary in the finance industry is $86,999, the highest of any industry.
The average quality assurance tester salary in the finance industry is $82,097.
Quality assurance testers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $55,173, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for quality assurance testers

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Finance	$86,999	$41.83
2	Health Care	$82,097	$39.47
3	Insurance	$77,080	$37.06
4	Professional	$76,015	$36.55
5	Government	$64,969	$31.24
6	Technology	$55,173	$26.53

High paying quality assurance tester jobs

Quality assurance tester salary trends

The average quality assurance tester salary has risen by $12,136 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality assurance tester earned $62,004 annually, but today, they earn $74,140 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for quality assurance testers over the last decade.

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

Average quality assurance tester salary over time

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

Quality assurance tester salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$74,100	$35.64	+3.3%
2024	$71,700	$34.47	+2.3%
2023	$70,100	$33.69	+1.9%
2022	$68,700	$33.03	+2.3%
2021	$67,200	$32.29	+1.5%

Recently added quality assurance tester salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Deloitte	Salesforce QA Tester	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$97,000
I.T. Excel	QA Tester	Ione, WA	06/29/2025	$55,000
Activision Publishing	Quality Assurance Requirements Tester-Activision	El Segundo, CA	06/28/2025	$23,834
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.	Software Quality Assurance Tester	Albuquerque, NM	06/28/2025	$61,900
Synechron	Functional QA Tester-Fidessa or Ullink	Jersey City, NJ	06/28/2025	$130,000
CGI	Manual QA Tester	Lafayette, LA	06/28/2025	$55,700
Tata Consultancy Services	Device QA Tester	San Jose, CA	06/28/2025	$70,000
Popbookings	Software Quality Assurance (QA) Tester	Kansas City, MO	06/28/2025	$39,653
Nexgen Technologies	QA Tester/Analyst (Istqb, Cste or Loadrunner Certifications Required)	Lakewood, CO	06/27/2025	$90,000
Insight Global	Quality Assurance Tester	Maryland Heights, MO	06/27/2025	$73,045

Quality assurance tester salary FAQs

What state pays Quality Assurance Testers the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a quality assurance tester?

What is a good starting salary for a Quality Assurance Tester?

How much do QA testers make?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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