Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Quality Control Engineer is $70,845 annually, translating to around $34 per hour. Salaries can fluctuate significantly based on several factors: experience level, industry sector, and geographic location. For example, Quality Control Engineers in high-demand industries, such as pharmaceuticals or aerospace, often command higher salaries.
States like California, Texas, and New York typically offer the highest salaries for Quality Control Engineers. In California, the average can soar above $80,000, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in the region. Additionally, cities with a concentration of manufacturing firms often provide lucrative opportunities.
To maximize earning potential, consider pursuing specialized certifications or advanced degrees. Quality Control Engineers who enhance their skills in areas like Six Sigma or quality management systems tend to see increased job opportunities and higher salaries. Continuous professional development is key to staying competitive in this field.
Let Zippi find your next quality control engineer job
Let Zippi find your next quality control engineer job
The highest-paying states for quality control engineers are Wyoming, Montana, and Washington. The lowest average quality control engineer salary states are Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Mississippi.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $83,413 | $40.10 |
| 2 | Oregon | $82,909 | $39.86 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $81,743 | $39.30 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $87,547 | $42.09 |
| 5 | Delaware | $80,471 | $38.69 |
| 6 | Utah | $76,153 | $36.61 |
| 7 | Idaho | $81,407 | $39.14 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $80,908 | $38.90 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $77,744 | $37.38 |
| 10 | California | $81,114 | $39.00 |
| 11 | Montana | $83,665 | $40.22 |
| 12 | Michigan | $74,495 | $35.81 |
| 13 | Arizona | $75,489 | $36.29 |
| 14 | Colorado | $78,874 | $37.92 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $79,682 | $38.31 |
| 16 | Virginia | $77,551 | $37.28 |
| 17 | Maryland | $77,615 | $37.31 |
| 18 | Oklahoma | $78,989 | $37.98 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $71,438 | $34.35 |
| 20 | Alaska | $81,396 | $39.13 |
| 21 | Iowa | $73,694 | $35.43 |
| 22 | Texas | $72,926 | $35.06 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $73,334 | $35.26 |
| 24 | New Mexico | $74,095 | $35.62 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $70,707 | $33.99 |
| 26 | Nevada | $73,132 | $35.16 |
| 27 | Illinois | $71,291 | $34.27 |
| 28 | District of Columbia | $72,886 | $35.04 |
| 29 | Connecticut | $69,269 | $33.30 |
| 30 | Ohio | $68,989 | $33.17 |
| 31 | Indiana | $66,974 | $32.20 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $70,661 | $33.97 |
| 33 | Kansas | $69,698 | $33.51 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $70,331 | $33.81 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $68,252 | $32.81 |
| 36 | New York | $71,316 | $34.29 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $68,657 | $33.01 |
| 38 | Hawaii | $72,261 | $34.74 |
| 39 | Georgia | $67,047 | $32.23 |
| 40 | Alabama | $65,178 | $31.34 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $66,546 | $31.99 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $63,654 | $30.60 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $66,539 | $31.99 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $64,736 | $31.12 |
| 45 | New Jersey | $67,809 | $32.60 |
| 46 | Maine | $67,652 | $32.52 |
| 47 | Missouri | $68,085 | $32.73 |
| 48 | Florida | $54,890 | $26.39 |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | $56,973 | $27.39 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $61,812 | $29.72 |
| 51 | Vermont | $54,886 | $26.39 |
The highest-paying cities for quality control engineers are San Rafael, CA, Natick, MA, and Arlington, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Rafael, CA | $86,175 | $41.43 |
| 2 | Natick, MA | $81,863 | $39.36 |
| 3 | Arlington, VA | $78,107 | $37.55 |
| 4 | Plymouth, MN | $77,805 | $37.41 |
| 5 | Frederick, MD | $77,507 | $37.26 |
| 6 | Dearborn, MI | $74,503 | $35.82 |
| 7 | Arlington, TX | $73,482 | $35.33 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $72,941 | $35.07 |
| 9 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $72,353 | $34.79 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $71,513 | $34.38 |
| 11 | Durham, NC | $71,069 | $34.17 |
| 12 | Lincoln, NE | $70,606 | $33.95 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $69,270 | $33.30 |
| 14 | Edison, NJ | $67,832 | $32.61 |
| 15 | Clarksville, TN | $66,818 | $32.12 |
| 16 | Montgomery, AL | $64,705 | $31.11 |
| 17 | Philadelphia, PA | $57,181 | $27.49 |
| 18 | Tampa, FL | $54,835 | $26.36 |
| 19 | San Juan, PR | $51,115 | $24.57 |
A quality control engineer's salary ranges from $53,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $94,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| Average | $70,845 | $5,904 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
The highest paying types of quality control engineers are manager, quality engineer, reliability engineer, and senior quality engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Quality Lead | $90,301 | $7,525 | $43.41 | 62,018 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
Top companies hiring quality control engineers now:
Quality control engineer salaries at Intuitive Surgical and Fortinet are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality control engineer salary at companies like MathWorks and MUFG EMEA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intuitive Surgical | $105,355 | $50.65 |
| 2 | Fortinet | $103,160 | $49.60 |
| 3 | MathWorks | $92,971 | $44.70 |
| 4 | MUFG EMEA | $87,413 | $42.03 |
| 5 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $87,395 | $42.02 |
| 6 | iDE | $86,762 | $41.71 |
| 7 | Bell Flight | $86,532 | $41.60 |
| 8 | Supermicro | $86,330 | $41.50 |
| 9 | Oceaneering | $86,293 | $41.49 |
| 10 | Navistar | $85,277 | $41.00 |
| 11 | Dassault Systèmes | $84,489 | $40.62 |
| 12 | Federal Reserve Bank | $84,321 | $40.54 |
| 13 | General Electric | $84,012 | $40.39 |
| 14 | Fresenius USA Inc | $83,825 | $40.30 |
| 15 | The HT Group | $83,572 | $40.18 |
| 16 | Voith GmbH | $83,243 | $40.02 |
| 17 | Atlas Copco Drilling Solutions LLC | $83,003 | $39.91 |
| 18 | International Trucks | $82,905 | $39.86 |
| 19 | Qualcomm | $82,620 | $39.72 |
| 20 | Lucid Motors | $82,051 | $39.45 |
The average quality control engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $83,131 | $39.97 |
| 2 | Construction | $78,519 | $37.75 |
| 3 | Automotive | $77,344 | $37.18 |
| 4 | Government | $76,165 | $36.62 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $75,977 | $36.53 |
The average quality control engineer salary has risen by $9,327 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality control engineer earned $61,518 annually, but today, they earn $70,845 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for quality control engineers over the last decade.
Compare quality control engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare quality control engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $70,800 | $34.06 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $70,100 | $33.70 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $69,300 | $33.33 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $68,400 | $32.88 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $67,100 | $32.28 | +1.0% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actalent | Quality Control Mechanical Engineer | Cincinnati, OH | 06/25/2025 | $52,175 |
| Mastec Inc. | Quality Control Field Engineer | Miami, FL | 06/20/2025 | $95,000 |
| Bechtel | HLW, Civil/Structural Quality Control Engineer | Richland, WA | 06/20/2025 | $90,990 |
| Los Alamos National Laboratory | Quality Engineer [CWI/Mechanical/QC] (Quality Engineer) | Los Alamos, NM | 06/18/2025 | $125,200 |
| BWX Technologies Inc. | Quality Engineer 3--Quality Control | Erwin, TN | 06/17/2025 | $77,000 |
| Espey Mfg | Engineer Q.C. | Saratoga Springs, NY | 06/14/2025 | $70,000 |
| Extron | Quality Control Engineer | Anaheim, CA | 06/13/2025 | $100,000 |
| BWX Technologies Inc. | Quality Control Engineer | Mount Vernon, IN | 06/11/2025 | $77,000 |
| Volkswagen Group of America | Quality Engineer-Control Plan-Battery Cell Manufacturing | Belmont, CA | 06/11/2025 | $124,400 |
| Ichor Systems | QC Engineer | Sauk Rapids, MN | 06/10/2025 | $84,300 |
Search for quality control engineer jobs