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The average salary for a Senior Software Engineer/Senior Tester is $110,616 per year, translating to approximately $53 per hour. This role typically requires significant experience in software development and testing methodologies. Salaries can vary greatly depending on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience.
For instance, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the demand for tech professionals. Major cities such as San Francisco and New York City are known for their competitive pay scales, often exceeding the national average.
Industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology frequently provide higher compensation packages for Senior Software Engineers and Testers. Understanding the salary landscape can help candidates negotiate better offers and make informed career decisions.
Researching specific companies and their pay structures can also provide insights into potential earnings. Utilizing resources like Zippia can assist in uncovering valuable salary data tailored to your experience and expertise.
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The highest-paying states for senior software engineers/senior tester are California, Washington, and Oregon. The lowest average senior software engineer/senior tester salary states are Arkansas, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $126,881 | $61.00 |
| 2 | California | $132,671 | $63.78 |
| 3 | Oregon | $121,566 | $58.45 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $105,027 | $50.49 |
| 5 | Utah | $101,278 | $48.69 |
| 6 | Arizona | $106,126 | $51.02 |
| 7 | Idaho | $107,207 | $51.54 |
| 8 | Nevada | $107,933 | $51.89 |
| 9 | Montana | $103,595 | $49.81 |
| 10 | South Dakota | $98,770 | $47.49 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $105,352 | $50.65 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $102,144 | $49.11 |
| 13 | Alaska | $116,237 | $55.88 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $103,831 | $49.92 |
| 15 | Vermont | $98,926 | $47.56 |
| 16 | Texas | $97,362 | $46.81 |
| 17 | North Dakota | $99,682 | $47.92 |
| 18 | Delaware | $98,963 | $47.58 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $99,405 | $47.79 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $97,022 | $46.65 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $95,561 | $45.94 |
| 22 | New York | $98,296 | $47.26 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $94,149 | $45.26 |
| 24 | Virginia | $94,760 | $45.56 |
| 25 | Alabama | $94,728 | $45.54 |
| 26 | South Carolina | $96,267 | $46.28 |
| 27 | West Virginia | $93,011 | $44.72 |
| 28 | Michigan | $93,807 | $45.10 |
| 29 | Maryland | $95,990 | $46.15 |
| 30 | Hawaii | $108,997 | $52.40 |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | $93,812 | $45.10 |
| 32 | Kansas | $90,630 | $43.57 |
| 33 | Illinois | $93,929 | $45.16 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $94,139 | $45.26 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $87,200 | $41.92 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $94,124 | $45.25 |
| 37 | Georgia | $93,122 | $44.77 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $89,404 | $42.98 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $87,663 | $42.15 |
| 40 | Connecticut | $93,697 | $45.05 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $86,031 | $41.36 |
| 42 | Indiana | $91,090 | $43.79 |
| 43 | Colorado | $88,668 | $42.63 |
| 44 | Ohio | $89,903 | $43.22 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $87,607 | $42.12 |
| 46 | Minnesota | $89,819 | $43.18 |
| 47 | Missouri | $86,584 | $41.63 |
| 48 | Florida | $91,276 | $43.88 |
| 49 | Iowa | $85,669 | $41.19 |
| 50 | Maine | $85,950 | $41.32 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $81,418 | $39.14 |
The highest-paying cities for senior software engineers/senior tester are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Tempe, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $143,555 | $69.02 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $127,853 | $61.47 |
| 3 | Tempe, AZ | $106,136 | $51.03 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $102,171 | $49.12 |
| 5 | American Fork, UT | $100,625 | $48.38 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $98,476 | $47.34 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $98,429 | $47.32 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $96,197 | $46.25 |
| 9 | Reston, VA | $95,128 | $45.73 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $94,249 | $45.31 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $94,033 | $45.21 |
| 12 | Warren, MI | $93,938 | $45.16 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $92,985 | $44.70 |
| 14 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $91,406 | $43.95 |
| 15 | Mentor, OH | $90,852 | $43.68 |
| 16 | Eagan, MN | $89,761 | $43.15 |
| 17 | Englewood, CO | $88,692 | $42.64 |
| 18 | Maryland Heights, MO | $86,725 | $41.69 |
A senior software engineer/senior tester's salary ranges from $85,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $143,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $143,000 | $11,917 | $69 |
| 75th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| Average | $110,616 | $9,218 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
The highest paying types of senior software engineers/senior tester are software engineering manager, staff software engineer, and principal software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Engineer | $79,832 | $6,653 | $38.38 | 228,974 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Design Engineer | $98,799 | $8,233 | $47.50 | 315,080 |
Top companies hiring senior software engineers/senior tester now:
Senior software engineer/senior tester salaries at Netflix and Credit Karma are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior software engineer/senior tester salary at companies like Roku and Squarespace are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | $172,551 | $82.96 |
| 2 | Credit Karma | $162,598 | $78.17 |
| 3 | Roku | $161,778 | $77.78 |
| 4 | Squarespace | $158,986 | $76.44 |
| 5 | $158,930 | $76.41 | |
| 6 | Snowflake Computing | $151,238 | $72.71 |
| 7 | Coursera | $150,996 | $72.59 |
| 8 | Chegg | $150,138 | $72.18 |
| 9 | WePay | $148,846 | $71.56 |
| 10 | Move | $147,517 | $70.92 |
| 11 | Apple | $147,225 | $70.78 |
| 12 | Rubrik | $146,870 | $70.61 |
| 13 | Palo Alto Networks | $144,864 | $69.65 |
| 14 | The Walt Disney Company | $144,853 | $69.64 |
| 15 | Square | $143,549 | $69.01 |
| 16 | Practice Fusion | $143,061 | $68.78 |
| 17 | TripActions | $142,712 | $68.61 |
| 18 | Rivian | $142,249 | $68.39 |
| 19 | Vista Equity Partners | $141,746 | $68.15 |
| 20 | Hotwire | $141,056 | $67.82 |
The average senior software engineer/senior tester salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $122,025 | $58.67 |
| 2 | Automotive | $115,017 | $55.30 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $108,296 | $52.07 |
| 4 | Health Care | $105,740 | $50.84 |
| 5 | Technology | $104,132 | $50.06 |
| 6 | Finance | $96,766 | $46.52 |
The average senior software engineer/senior tester salary has risen by $18,107 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior software engineer/senior tester earned $92,509 annually, but today, they earn $110,616 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior software engineers/senior tester over the last decade.
Compare senior software engineer/senior tester salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare senior software engineer/senior tester salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $111,000 | $53.18 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $107,000 | $51.43 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $105,000 | $50.26 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $103,000 | $49.28 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $100,000 | $48.17 | +1.5% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Senior Software Test & Verification Technical Lead Engineer (TLE) | Huntsville, AL | 06/30/2025 | $141,100 |
| Perspecta | Senior Software Test Engineer (Automated) | Herndon, VA | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Senior Software Engineer-Core and Test Infrastructure | Atlanta, GA | 06/29/2025 | $142,800 |
| Dish Network Corporation | Senior Software Test Engineer | Plano, TX | 06/28/2025 | $126,131 |
| Northrop Grumman | Software Test Engineer Senior 3 | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/28/2025 | $91,200 |
| Cox Holdings, Inc. | Senior Software Test Engineer | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $116,318 |
| Leica Biosystems | Senior Engineer Software Test | Vista, CA | 06/28/2025 | $130,000 |
| Comtech Telecommunications Corp | Senior Software Test Engineer | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $105,000 |
| Comtech Telecommunications Corp | Senior Software Test Engineer | Annapolis, MD | 06/27/2025 | $105,000 |
| Comtech Telecommunications Corp | Senior Software Test Engineer | Stoughton, MA | 06/27/2025 | $105,000 |
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