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Software test engineer salary
Average software test engineer salary
$85,338
Understanding Software Test Engineer Salaries
A Software Test Engineer plays a vital role in ensuring software quality through systematic testing processes. According to recent data, their average salary stands at $85,338 annually in the United States. However, this salary can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographical location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
For instance, regions like California and New York often report higher salaries for Software Test Engineers due to the high demand for tech talent in these states. Additionally, professionals with several years of experience can command higher pay, reflecting their expertise and proven track record in software quality assurance.
As the tech industry continues to grow, job opportunities for Software Test Engineers are expanding. Employers actively seek skilled professionals capable of enhancing software reliability. To maximize your earning potential in this field, consider pursuing specialized certifications or advanced degrees in related areas.
Overall, a career as a Software Test Engineer not only promises a competitive salary but also offers a pathway to professional growth in a thriving sector.
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Where can a Software Test Engineer earn more?
Software test engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average software test engineer salary by state
The average software test engineer salary in California, Washington, and Maryland are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average software test engineer salary states are Oklahoma, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software test engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $95,352 | $45.84 |
| 2 | California | $104,836 | $50.40 |
| 3 | Delaware | $86,955 | $41.81 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $84,449 | $40.60 |
| 5 | Maryland | $87,891 | $42.26 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $87,166 | $41.91 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $84,634 | $40.69 |
| 8 | Oregon | $81,999 | $39.42 |
| 9 | Nevada | $87,632 | $42.13 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $88,608 | $42.60 |
| 11 | Virginia | $81,772 | $39.31 |
| 12 | Arizona | $79,740 | $38.34 |
| 13 | Utah | $75,746 | $36.42 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $83,964 | $40.37 |
| 15 | Texas | $76,168 | $36.62 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $73,713 | $35.44 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $75,368 | $36.23 |
| 18 | Maine | $80,366 | $38.64 |
| 19 | New York | $81,286 | $39.08 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $76,479 | $36.77 |
| 21 | Idaho | $74,875 | $36.00 |
| 22 | Michigan | $73,482 | $35.33 |
| 23 | Alaska | $79,898 | $38.41 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $77,916 | $37.46 |
| 25 | Nebraska | $70,981 | $34.13 |
| 26 | Colorado | $74,727 | $35.93 |
| 27 | Ohio | $71,526 | $34.39 |
| 28 | Kansas | $70,617 | $33.95 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $71,318 | $34.29 |
| 30 | Vermont | $71,103 | $34.18 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $72,160 | $34.69 |
| 32 | Illinois | $72,291 | $34.76 |
| 33 | Georgia | $71,240 | $34.25 |
| 34 | Wyoming | $67,189 | $32.30 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $69,728 | $33.52 |
| 36 | Montana | $69,365 | $33.35 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $68,452 | $32.91 |
| 38 | Indiana | $67,894 | $32.64 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $69,515 | $33.42 |
| 40 | Mississippi | $69,548 | $33.44 |
| 41 | Iowa | $68,314 | $32.84 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $69,818 | $33.57 |
| 43 | Missouri | $69,436 | $33.38 |
| 44 | Alabama | $66,651 | $32.04 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $65,251 | $31.37 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $65,450 | $31.47 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $65,197 | $31.34 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $67,116 | $32.27 |
| 49 | Florida | $65,186 | $31.34 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $66,160 | $31.81 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,079 | $29.36 |
Highest paying cities for software test engineers
The highest-paying cities for software test engineers are San Mateo, CA, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Mateo, CA | $115,993 | $55.77 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $96,143 | $46.22 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $84,671 | $40.71 |
| 4 | Middletown, NJ | $84,114 | $40.44 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $81,523 | $39.19 |
| 6 | Hartford, CT | $78,004 | $37.50 |
| 7 | San Antonio, TX | $77,042 | $37.04 |
| 8 | Allentown, PA | $76,805 | $36.93 |
| 9 | Durham, NC | $76,248 | $36.66 |
| 10 | Salt Lake City, UT | $75,482 | $36.29 |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | $74,860 | $35.99 |
| 12 | Warren, MI | $73,800 | $35.48 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $72,434 | $34.82 |
| 14 | Alpharetta, GA | $71,558 | $34.40 |
| 15 | Bellevue, NE | $70,979 | $34.12 |
| 16 | Overland Park, KS | $70,557 | $33.92 |
| 17 | Saint Louis, MO | $69,639 | $33.48 |
| 18 | Melbourne, FL | $65,723 | $31.60 |
Software Test Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Software test engineer salary details
A software test engineer's salary ranges from $63,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software test engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $115,000 | $9,583 | $55 |
| 75th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| Average | $85,338 | $7,112 | $41 |
| 25th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $63,000 | $5,250 | $30 |
Highest paying software test engineer jobs
The highest paying types of software test engineers are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Analyst | $78,400 | $6,533 | $37.69 | 274,053 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Automation Test Engineer | $85,353 | $7,113 | $41.04 | 125,816 |
| Test Engineer | $79,832 | $6,653 | $38.38 | 228,974 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $136,653 | $11,388 | $65.70 | 371,213 |
Top companies hiring software test engineers now:
Which companies pay software test engineers the most?
Software test engineer salaries at Apple and ByteDance are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software test engineer salary at companies like Meta and Zoox are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $138,553 | $66.61 |
| 2 | ByteDance | $136,565 | $65.66 |
| 3 | Meta | $136,205 | $65.48 |
| 4 | Zoox | $136,045 | $65.41 |
| 5 | Amazon | $133,502 | $64.18 |
| 6 | Walmart | $131,743 | $63.34 |
| 7 | StumbleUpon | $131,680 | $63.31 |
| 8 | $131,338 | $63.14 | |
| 9 | Netflix | $130,890 | $62.93 |
| 10 | $130,869 | $62.92 | |
| 11 | Lyft | $130,006 | $62.50 |
| 12 | Rubrik | $127,148 | $61.13 |
| 13 | NVIDIA | $126,842 | $60.98 |
| 14 | Snowflake Computing | $126,393 | $60.77 |
| 15 | MongoDB | $125,206 | $60.20 |
| 16 | Clustrix | $124,526 | $59.87 |
| 17 | Atlassian | $124,380 | $59.80 |
| 18 | Shutterfly | $124,252 | $59.74 |
| 19 | Brocade Services Corporation | $123,422 | $59.34 |
| 20 | Splunk | $123,270 | $59.26 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software test engineer salary trends
The average software test engineer salary has risen by $13,969 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software test engineer earned $71,369 annually, but today, they earn $85,338 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software test engineers over the last decade.
Compare software test engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software test engineer salary over time
Compare software test engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software test engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $85,300 | $41.03 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $82,500 | $39.68 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $80,700 | $38.78 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $79,100 | $38.02 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $77,300 | $37.16 | +1.5% |
Recently added software test engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Software Engineer-Test & Verification | Hazelwood, MO | 06/30/2025 | $85,000 |
| Fujifilm Holdings America | Software Test (Manual) Engineer (Medical Device Industry) | Durham, NC | 06/29/2025 | $65,525 |
| Perspecta | Software Test Engineer | Annapolis, MD | 06/29/2025 | $104,000 |
| Perspecta | Software Test Engineer | Bedford, NH | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Ramsey | Software Engineer In Test | Nashville, TN | 06/29/2025 | $70,000 |
| Hidden Level Inc. | Staff Software Test Engineer | Syracuse, NY | 06/29/2025 | $132,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Principal Software Test Engineer, Mission Autonomy | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/29/2025 | $170,000 |
| ZP Group | Software Test Engineer-Top Secret Cleared | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Brightsign | Software Engineer In Test | San Jose, CA | 06/29/2025 | $118,700 |
| Eliassen Group | Software Engineer In Test (C#) | Charlotte, NC | 06/28/2025 | $83,480 |
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