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Software tester salary
Average software tester salary
$78,580
Understanding Software Tester Salaries
The average salary for a Software Tester is approximately $78,580 annually. This figure varies widely depending on state, experience, and the specific industry within technology. For instance, software testers in California and New York often command higher wages, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.
Factors Influencing Salary
Experience plays a crucial role in salary potential. Entry-level positions may start around $55,000, while senior testers can earn upwards of $100,000. Additionally, working in high-demand sectors such as finance or healthcare can lead to higher compensation.
Career Opportunities
As technology continues to evolve, the need for proficient software testers remains significant. Career advancement is often possible through certifications and gaining expertise in automated testing tools, which can further enhance earning potential.
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Where can a Software Tester earn more?
Software tester salary estimates from across the web
Average software tester salary by state
The highest-paying states for software testers are New Hampshire, California, and Washington. The lowest average software tester salary states are North Dakota, Kansas, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software testers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $88,857 | $42.72 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $87,148 | $41.90 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $92,570 | $44.50 |
| 4 | New Jersey | $88,562 | $42.58 |
| 5 | Utah | $81,017 | $38.95 |
| 6 | California | $90,903 | $43.70 |
| 7 | Oregon | $83,564 | $40.17 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $83,793 | $40.29 |
| 9 | Delaware | $80,871 | $38.88 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $77,689 | $37.35 |
| 11 | Vermont | $79,288 | $38.12 |
| 12 | Maryland | $84,575 | $40.66 |
| 13 | Virginia | $80,216 | $38.57 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $77,193 | $37.11 |
| 15 | Nevada | $79,308 | $38.13 |
| 16 | New York | $81,874 | $39.36 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $81,654 | $39.26 |
| 18 | District of Columbia | $80,195 | $38.56 |
| 19 | New Mexico | $74,293 | $35.72 |
| 20 | Idaho | $75,530 | $36.31 |
| 21 | Arizona | $74,796 | $35.96 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $75,144 | $36.13 |
| 23 | Montana | $72,773 | $34.99 |
| 24 | Illinois | $75,734 | $36.41 |
| 25 | Maine | $74,432 | $35.78 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $74,186 | $35.67 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $71,319 | $34.29 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $73,252 | $35.22 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $71,441 | $34.35 |
| 30 | Missouri | $73,692 | $35.43 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $74,195 | $35.67 |
| 32 | Alaska | $77,774 | $37.39 |
| 33 | West Virginia | $70,408 | $33.85 |
| 34 | Ohio | $70,117 | $33.71 |
| 35 | Alabama | $70,187 | $33.74 |
| 36 | Iowa | $71,225 | $34.24 |
| 37 | Michigan | $70,802 | $34.04 |
| 38 | Arkansas | $68,598 | $32.98 |
| 39 | Texas | $70,111 | $33.71 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $70,094 | $33.70 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $70,910 | $34.09 |
| 42 | Colorado | $68,970 | $33.16 |
| 43 | Georgia | $71,428 | $34.34 |
| 44 | Indiana | $69,128 | $33.23 |
| 45 | Kansas | $67,187 | $32.30 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $67,793 | $32.59 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $65,968 | $31.72 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $68,246 | $32.81 |
| 49 | Florida | $66,665 | $32.05 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $64,266 | $30.90 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $66,212 | $31.83 |
Highest paying cities for software testers
The highest-paying cities for software testers are Sunnyvale, CA, Seattle, WA, and Jersey City, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunnyvale, CA | $97,838 | $47.04 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $89,445 | $43.00 |
| 3 | Jersey City, NJ | $88,616 | $42.60 |
| 4 | Raleigh, NC | $84,750 | $40.75 |
| 5 | Columbia, MD | $84,518 | $40.63 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $82,079 | $39.46 |
| 7 | Midvale, UT | $80,790 | $38.84 |
| 8 | Reston, VA | $80,446 | $38.68 |
| 9 | Washington, DC | $80,286 | $38.60 |
| 10 | Woonsocket, RI | $77,560 | $37.29 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $75,940 | $36.51 |
| 12 | Saint Cloud, MN | $75,152 | $36.13 |
| 13 | Saint Louis, MO | $74,278 | $35.71 |
| 14 | Alpharetta, GA | $71,643 | $34.44 |
| 15 | San Antonio, TX | $71,077 | $34.17 |
| 16 | Southfield, MI | $70,967 | $34.12 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $69,079 | $33.21 |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | $68,821 | $33.09 |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL | $67,919 | $32.65 |
Software tester salary details
A software tester's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $100,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software tester's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $100,000 | $8,333 | $48 |
| 75th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| Average | $78,580 | $6,548 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
Highest paying software tester jobs
The highest paying types of software testers are staff software engineer, software engineer-consultant, and software development engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $73,532 | $6,128 | $35.35 | 108,078 |
| Quality Assurance Engineer | $82,215 | $6,851 | $39.53 | 243,536 |
| Quality Assurance Tester | $74,140 | $6,178 | $35.64 | 82,396 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| ETL Tester | $80,801 | $6,733 | $38.85 | 35,095 |
| Functional Tester | $76,647 | $6,387 | $36.85 | 37,146 |
Top companies hiring software testers now:
Which companies pay software testers the most?
Software tester salaries at Nordstrom and Mayo Clinic are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software tester salary at companies like Barclays and Medline are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nordstrom | $114,812 | $55.20 |
| 2 | Mayo Clinic | $106,190 | $51.05 |
| 3 | Barclays | $105,936 | $50.93 |
| 4 | Medline | $99,330 | $47.75 |
| 5 | Abbott | $99,249 | $47.72 |
| 6 | iRobot | $97,704 | $46.97 |
| 7 | Charles Schwab | $96,714 | $46.50 |
| 8 | SAS Institute | $94,036 | $45.21 |
| 9 | Henny Penny | $93,133 | $44.78 |
| 10 | PACCAR | $92,844 | $44.64 |
| 11 | Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. | $92,734 | $44.58 |
| 12 | Xero | $91,272 | $43.88 |
| 13 | Populus Group | $90,887 | $43.70 |
| 14 | Innovative Emergency Management | $90,594 | $43.55 |
| 15 | QuantumScape | $90,519 | $43.52 |
| 16 | Nobel Biocare | $89,439 | $43.00 |
| 17 | Nokia | $88,651 | $42.62 |
| 18 | ICONMA | $88,265 | $42.44 |
| 19 | Nintendo | $87,415 | $42.03 |
| 20 | TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool | $87,150 | $41.90 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Tester salary by industry
The average software tester salary varies across industries:
- The average software tester salary in the technology industry is $85,662, the highest of any industry.
- The average software tester salary in the finance industry is $82,352.
- Software testers in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $79,353, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software testers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $85,662 | $41.18 |
| 2 | Automotive | $82,352 | $39.59 |
| 3 | Finance | $81,869 | $39.36 |
| 4 | Hospitality | $79,353 | $38.15 |
High paying software tester jobs
Software tester salary trends
The average software tester salary has risen by $12,863 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software tester earned $65,717 annually, but today, they earn $78,580 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software testers over the last decade.
Compare software tester salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software tester salary over time
Compare software tester salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software tester salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $78,600 | $37.78 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $76,000 | $36.53 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $74,300 | $35.71 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $72,800 | $35.01 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $71,200 | $34.22 | +1.5% |
Recently added software tester salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L3Harris | Software Tester | Rochester, NY | 06/12/2025 | $56,500 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | Automated Software Tester | McLean, VA | 06/10/2025 | $86,800 |
| I.T. Excel | JR. Software Tester | Virginia Beach, VA | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR Software Tester | Hopkinsville, KY | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR. Software Tester | Philadelphia, PA | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR. Software Tester | Fort Walton Beach, FL | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR Software Tester | Bowne, MI | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR Software Tester | Lowell, MA | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR Software Tester | Silver Spring, MD | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
| I.T. Excel | JR. Software Tester | Manchester, NH | 06/10/2025 | $55,000 |
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