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Test engineer salary
Average test engineer salary
$79,832
Average Test Engineer Salary
The average salary for a test engineer is approximately $79,832 annually, equating to about $38 per hour. However, salaries can vary significantly depending on factors like geographical location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, test engineers in high-demand tech hubs such as San Francisco or New York often earn above the national average due to the cost of living and competitive job market.
Factors Influencing Salary
Experience is a critical factor, with entry-level positions starting around $60,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $100,000. Additionally, test engineers specializing in automation or performance testing tend to command higher salaries, reflecting the specialized skills required in these areas.
Highest Paying States and Industries
Among the states, California and Washington typically offer the highest salaries for test engineers. Industries such as software development, telecommunications, and finance are known to pay competitive wages, making them attractive sectors for job seekers. Understanding these dynamics can empower test engineers to negotiate better salaries and pursue lucrative opportunities.
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Where can a Test Engineer earn more?
Test engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average test engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for test engineers are California, Washington, and New Hampshire. The lowest average test engineer salary states are Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for test engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $97,982 | $47.11 |
| 2 | Washington | $87,701 | $42.16 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $86,276 | $41.48 |
| 4 | Oregon | $83,014 | $39.91 |
| 5 | Nevada | $84,470 | $40.61 |
| 6 | Arizona | $79,991 | $38.46 |
| 7 | Idaho | $81,932 | $39.39 |
| 8 | Maryland | $82,105 | $39.47 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $79,559 | $38.25 |
| 10 | Virginia | $78,359 | $37.67 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $80,809 | $38.85 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $79,977 | $38.45 |
| 13 | Delaware | $76,851 | $36.95 |
| 14 | Vermont | $74,858 | $35.99 |
| 15 | Michigan | $73,640 | $35.40 |
| 16 | Utah | $73,068 | $35.13 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $74,833 | $35.98 |
| 18 | New York | $78,303 | $37.65 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $72,803 | $35.00 |
| 20 | Nebraska | $73,367 | $35.27 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $73,434 | $35.30 |
| 22 | Texas | $72,777 | $34.99 |
| 23 | Colorado | $73,459 | $35.32 |
| 24 | Kansas | $72,884 | $35.04 |
| 25 | Louisiana | $73,483 | $35.33 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $74,515 | $35.82 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $70,426 | $33.86 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $69,822 | $33.57 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $69,656 | $33.49 |
| 30 | Alaska | $74,511 | $35.82 |
| 31 | Maine | $72,153 | $34.69 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $70,042 | $33.67 |
| 33 | Ohio | $69,591 | $33.46 |
| 34 | Mississippi | $70,280 | $33.79 |
| 35 | Indiana | $68,665 | $33.01 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $69,420 | $33.38 |
| 37 | Illinois | $70,314 | $33.80 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $70,840 | $34.06 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $68,268 | $32.82 |
| 40 | Montana | $68,161 | $32.77 |
| 41 | Iowa | $69,074 | $33.21 |
| 42 | Hawaii | $69,217 | $33.28 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $68,698 | $33.03 |
| 44 | Missouri | $68,569 | $32.97 |
| 45 | Alabama | $66,157 | $31.81 |
| 46 | Tennessee | $67,294 | $32.35 |
| 47 | Georgia | $67,555 | $32.48 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $65,649 | $31.56 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $66,522 | $31.98 |
| 50 | Florida | $63,335 | $30.45 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $65,020 | $31.26 |
Highest paying cities for test engineers
The highest-paying cities for test engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $108,643 | $52.23 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $88,170 | $42.39 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $82,847 | $39.83 |
| 4 | Annapolis, MD | $82,247 | $39.54 |
| 5 | Jersey City, NJ | $80,909 | $38.90 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $80,034 | $38.48 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $79,607 | $38.27 |
| 8 | Reston, VA | $78,774 | $37.87 |
| 9 | New York, NY | $78,439 | $37.71 |
| 10 | Hartford, CT | $74,473 | $35.80 |
| 11 | Troy, MI | $73,837 | $35.50 |
| 12 | Omaha, NE | $73,436 | $35.31 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs, CO | $73,349 | $35.26 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $73,236 | $35.21 |
| 15 | Overland Park, KS | $73,029 | $35.11 |
| 16 | Pittsburgh, PA | $72,686 | $34.95 |
| 17 | Greensboro, NC | $70,627 | $33.96 |
| 18 | Northbrook, IL | $70,545 | $33.92 |
| 19 | Columbus, OH | $69,314 | $33.32 |
| 20 | Columbus, IN | $68,489 | $32.93 |
Test Engineers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Test engineer salary details
A test engineer's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $104,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a test engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| 75th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| Average | $79,832 | $6,653 | $38 |
| 25th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
| 10th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
Highest paying test engineer jobs
The highest paying types of test engineers are staff software engineer, senior software engineer, and software engineer-consultant.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead | $110,007 | $9,167 | $52.89 | 278,178 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Quality Assurance Engineer | $82,215 | $6,851 | $39.53 | 243,536 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $136,653 | $11,388 | $65.70 | 371,213 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for test engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring test engineers now:
Which companies pay test engineers the most?
Test engineer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average test engineer salary at companies like Google and Twitter are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $137,469 | $66.09 |
| 2 | Apple | $133,702 | $64.28 |
| 3 | $130,972 | $62.97 | |
| 4 | $128,965 | $62.00 | |
| 5 | Zoox | $126,664 | $60.90 |
| 6 | 10x Genomics | $123,875 | $59.56 |
| 7 | NVIDIA | $123,158 | $59.21 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $121,815 | $58.56 |
| 9 | Square | $121,235 | $58.29 |
| 10 | Waymo | $120,451 | $57.91 |
| 11 | Practice Fusion | $120,113 | $57.75 |
| 12 | Brocade Services Corporation | $119,313 | $57.36 |
| 13 | Credit Karma | $119,067 | $57.24 |
| 14 | Move | $118,282 | $56.87 |
| 15 | Amazon | $117,438 | $56.46 |
| 16 | Argo AI | $117,120 | $56.31 |
| 17 | F5 | $116,967 | $56.23 |
| 18 | American Red Cross | $116,435 | $55.98 |
| 19 | The New York Times Company | $114,936 | $55.26 |
| 20 | Cisco | $114,017 | $54.82 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Test Engineer salary by industry
The average test engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average test engineer salary in the telecommunication industry is $88,414, the highest of any industry.
- The average test engineer salary in the finance industry is $88,174.
- Test engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $83,109, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for test engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $88,414 | $42.51 |
| 2 | Automotive | $88,174 | $42.39 |
| 3 | Technology | $87,571 | $42.10 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $83,109 | $39.96 |
High paying test engineer jobs
Test engineer salary trends
The average test engineer salary has risen by $13,068 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average test engineer earned $66,764 annually, but today, they earn $79,832 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for test engineers over the last decade.
Compare test engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average test engineer salary over time
Compare test engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Test engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $79,800 | $38.38 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $77,200 | $37.12 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $75,500 | $36.28 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $74,000 | $35.57 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $72,300 | $34.76 | +1.5% |
Recently added test engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solectron Corp | Test Engineer | Littleton, MA | 06/30/2025 | $123,500 |
| Nextracker | NPI Test Engineer | Fremont, CA | 06/30/2025 | $160,000 |
| Blue Origin | Avionics Test Engineer II | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $96,310 |
| Blue Origin | Test Engineer II-Honeybee Robotics | Longmont, CO | 06/30/2025 | $88,284 |
| Blue Origin | Space Resources Test Engineer III | Los Angeles, CA | 06/30/2025 | $117,498 |
| Hyve Solutions | Thermal Test Engineer | Fremont, CA | 06/30/2025 | $100,000 |
| Perspecta | Test Engineer | Reston, VA | 06/29/2025 | $104,000 |
| Westpak Inc. | Lab Packaging Test Engineer I | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2025 | $62,610 |
| Peraton | Test Engineer (Mid-Level) | Reston, VA | 06/29/2025 | $104,000 |
| Lucid Motors | High Voltage Test Engineer | Newark, CA | 06/29/2025 | $128,800 |
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