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Senior software tester salary
Average senior software tester salary
$88,967
Understanding Senior Software Tester Earnings
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Software Tester is $88,967 annually, translating to approximately $43 per hour. Salaries in this field can differ significantly depending on various factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For example, locations like San Francisco and New York City often offer higher salaries due to the high cost of living and demand for skilled tech professionals.
Salary Variations by State
In states like California and Washington, Senior Software Testers can expect salaries above the national average, with top earners making over $100,000 per year. Industries such as finance, healthcare, and technology also tend to offer higher compensation. Notably, companies in sectors with stringent testing requirements are willing to invest more in experienced testers.
Career Advancement Opportunities
Beyond salary, pursuing a career as a Senior Software Tester offers numerous growth opportunities. Many professionals transition into roles such as Software Development Manager or Quality Assurance Lead, potentially increasing their earning potential further. Continuous learning and certifications can enhance prospects in this evolving field.
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Where can a Senior Software Tester earn more?
Senior software tester salary estimates from across the web
Average senior software tester salary by state
The average senior software tester salary in California, Washington, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior software tester salary states are Mississippi, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior software testers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $107,398 | $51.63 |
| 2 | California | $111,915 | $53.81 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | $96,095 | $46.20 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $105,783 | $50.86 |
| 5 | New York | $107,025 | $51.45 |
| 6 | Utah | $91,926 | $44.20 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $92,879 | $44.65 |
| 8 | Maryland | $96,431 | $46.36 |
| 9 | Delaware | $93,393 | $44.90 |
| 10 | New Hampshire | $94,104 | $45.24 |
| 11 | Oregon | $90,987 | $43.74 |
| 12 | Montana | $91,502 | $43.99 |
| 13 | Minnesota | $92,510 | $44.48 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $95,816 | $46.07 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $90,765 | $43.64 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $89,045 | $42.81 |
| 17 | Virginia | $90,709 | $43.61 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $89,123 | $42.85 |
| 19 | Michigan | $89,938 | $43.24 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $89,285 | $42.93 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $87,701 | $42.16 |
| 22 | Connecticut | $91,925 | $44.19 |
| 23 | Idaho | $87,998 | $42.31 |
| 24 | Nevada | $87,832 | $42.23 |
| 25 | Maine | $90,601 | $43.56 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $83,882 | $40.33 |
| 27 | Kansas | $82,318 | $39.58 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $79,980 | $38.45 |
| 29 | Illinois | $85,587 | $41.15 |
| 30 | Iowa | $86,180 | $41.43 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $83,470 | $40.13 |
| 32 | Colorado | $82,201 | $39.52 |
| 33 | Vermont | $80,070 | $38.50 |
| 34 | Alaska | $85,754 | $41.23 |
| 35 | Arizona | $79,043 | $38.00 |
| 36 | Indiana | $77,204 | $37.12 |
| 37 | Georgia | $78,565 | $37.77 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $76,553 | $36.80 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $77,571 | $37.29 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $74,066 | $35.61 |
| 41 | Texas | $75,563 | $36.33 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $75,891 | $36.49 |
| 43 | Louisiana | $79,666 | $38.30 |
| 44 | Missouri | $76,025 | $36.55 |
| 45 | Ohio | $75,410 | $36.25 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $74,489 | $35.81 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $74,749 | $35.94 |
| 48 | Alabama | $70,504 | $33.90 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $71,414 | $34.33 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $71,857 | $34.55 |
| 51 | Florida | $68,959 | $33.15 |
Highest paying cities for senior software testers
The highest-paying cities for senior software testers are Cupertino, CA, Bellevue, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $120,219 | $57.80 |
| 2 | Bellevue, WA | $107,789 | $51.82 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $107,081 | $51.48 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $105,947 | $50.94 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $96,643 | $46.46 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $95,840 | $46.08 |
| 7 | Minneapolis, MN | $92,544 | $44.49 |
| 8 | Clearfield, UT | $92,056 | $44.26 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $91,572 | $44.02 |
| 10 | Arlington, VA | $91,202 | $43.85 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $91,068 | $43.78 |
| 12 | Portland, ME | $90,833 | $43.67 |
| 13 | Raleigh, NC | $90,128 | $43.33 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $89,928 | $43.23 |
| 15 | Quincy, MA | $89,305 | $42.94 |
| 16 | Mundelein, IL | $86,117 | $41.40 |
| 17 | Denver, CO | $82,150 | $39.50 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $78,878 | $37.92 |
| 19 | Columbus, IN | $76,735 | $36.89 |
| 20 | Hazelwood, MO | $76,577 | $36.82 |
Senior software tester salary details
A senior software tester's salary ranges from $68,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior software tester's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $115,000 | $9,583 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| Average | $88,967 | $7,414 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Highest paying senior software tester jobs
The highest paying types of senior software testers are principal software engineer, software engineer lead, and senior systems software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tester | $65,202 | $5,433 | $31.35 | 52,595 |
| System Test Engineer | $100,751 | $8,396 | $48.44 | 131,653 |
| ETL Tester | $80,801 | $6,733 | $38.85 | 35,095 |
| Systems Tester | $95,834 | $7,986 | $46.07 | 112,985 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
| Software Programmer | $71,612 | $5,968 | $34.43 | 253,235 |
Top companies hiring senior software testers now:
Which companies pay senior software testers the most?
Senior software tester salaries at LinkedIn and Amazon are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior software tester salary at companies like Medline and General Motors are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $125,412 | $60.29 | |
| 2 | Amazon | $118,915 | $57.17 |
| 3 | Medline | $108,138 | $51.99 |
| 4 | General Motors | $107,343 | $51.61 |
| 5 | SAS Institute | $106,689 | $51.29 |
| 6 | Hastings Mutual Insurance | $103,707 | $49.86 |
| 7 | BD | $103,494 | $49.76 |
| 8 | Mayo Clinic | $103,408 | $49.72 |
| 9 | Ricoh | $101,992 | $49.03 |
| 10 | PJT Partners | $100,873 | $48.50 |
| 11 | Overstock.com | $96,776 | $46.53 |
| 12 | Alticor | $96,513 | $46.40 |
| 13 | LHP | $94,394 | $45.38 |
| 14 | Rose International | $94,258 | $45.32 |
| 15 | Core-Tech Inc | $93,506 | $44.95 |
| 16 | YPrime | $93,255 | $44.83 |
| 17 | Science | $92,592 | $44.52 |
| 18 | Illumina | $91,980 | $44.22 |
| 19 | Peraton | $91,668 | $44.07 |
| 20 | Bering Straits | $91,152 | $43.82 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Software Tester salary by industry
The average senior software tester salary varies across industries:
- The average senior software tester salary in the technology industry is $101,019, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior software tester salary in the finance industry is $99,577.
- Senior software testers in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $93,074, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior software testers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $101,019 | $48.57 |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical | $99,577 | $47.87 |
| 3 | Health Care | $96,551 | $46.42 |
| 4 | Transportation | $93,074 | $44.75 |
High paying senior software tester jobs
Senior software tester salary trends
The average senior software tester salary has risen by $14,563 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior software tester earned $74,404 annually, but today, they earn $88,967 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior software testers over the last decade.
Compare senior software tester salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior software tester salary over time
Compare senior software tester salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior software tester salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $89,000 | $42.77 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $86,000 | $41.36 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $84,100 | $40.43 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $82,400 | $39.64 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $80,600 | $38.74 | +1.5% |
Recently added senior software tester salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DHRM | Senior Software Tester | Richmond, VA | 06/18/2025 | $104,000 |
| State of Virginia | Senior Software Tester | Richmond, VA | 06/17/2025 | $104,000 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | SR. TPM-Satellite Software Integration and Test (I&T), Project Kuiper | Redmond, WA | 06/15/2025 | $133,900 |
| Perspecta | Senior Automated Software Tester | Washington, DC | 04/28/2025 | $86,000 |
| Peraton | Senior Automated Software Tester | Washington, DC | 04/28/2025 | $86,000 |
| Qualcomm | Automotive Software Test, SR | San Diego, CA | 04/11/2025 | $107,000 |
| Belcan | Muos Senior Software Tester | Scottsdale, AZ | 04/02/2025 | $161,659 |
| Perspecta | Senior Automated Software Tester | Washington, DC | 03/27/2025 | $86,000 |
| Peraton | Senior Automated Software Tester | Washington, DC | 03/27/2025 | $86,000 |
| Medline Industries, LP. | SR. Software Tester | Mundelein, IL | 03/14/2025 | $122,913 |
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