How much does a test operator make?

The average test operator salary in the United States is $35,591. Test operator salaries typically range between $25,000 and $48,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for test operators is $17.11 per hour. Test operator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Test operators earn the highest average salary in Connecticut.

Test operator salary

Q: What state pays Test Operators the most?

Connecticut pays Test Operators the most in the United States, with an average salary of $52,021 per year, or $25.01 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a test operator?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a test operator if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Washington you should be paid close to $47,186 per year.

Average test operator salary

$35,591

$17.11 hourly rate

Entry-level test operator salary

$25,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Average Test Operator Salary

The average salary for a Test Operator in the U.S. is $35,591 per year, or about $17 per hour. Factors influencing these figures include experience levels and geographical location. For instance, entry-level positions may start at around $28,000, while seasoned professionals can earn up to $45,000 annually.

Salary by State

In states like California and Texas, salaries tend to be higher compared to the national average due to the cost of living and demand for skilled labor. States such as New York and Washington also reflect competitive salaries.

Experience Matters

As with many roles, experience plays a crucial part in defining salary ranges. Those with more than 5 years in the field typically command higher wages, reflecting their expertise and value in the workplace.

Exploring Opportunities

For individuals looking to enter this field, researching various industries and understanding regional salary differences can provide a clearer picture of potential earnings.

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Test operator salary by:

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Where can a Test Operator earn more?

Compare salary by location

78k

58k

38k

18k

-2k

Columbus, OH$51,903

Huntsville, AL$27,543

Compare salary by company

113k

93k

73k

53k

33k

13k

Qorvo$83,637

Renesas Electronics$43,350

Test operator salaries by experience level

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level test operator	$21,100	$10.15
Mid-level test operator	$33,700	$16.18
Senior-level test operator	$44,500	$21.38

Test operator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Comparably, the average salary for a test operator typically falls between $35,591 and $77,080.

zippia

$35,591yearly

glassdoor[1]

$48,385yearly

indeed[2]

$43,493yearly

comparably[3]

$77,080yearly

SalaryExpert[4]

$37,458yearly

Average test operator salary by state

The highest-paying states for test operators are Connecticut, Washington, and Massachusetts. The lowest average test operator salary states are South Carolina, North Carolina, and Texas.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for test operators

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Rhode Island	$42,174	$20.28
2	Connecticut	$52,021	$25.01
3	Massachusetts	$43,604	$20.96
4	New Hampshire	$40,560	$19.50
5	Alaska	$43,148	$20.74
6	Washington	$47,186	$22.69
7	Colorado	$43,276	$20.81
8	Pennsylvania	$40,537	$19.49
9	Vermont	$40,075	$19.27
10	Nebraska	$39,943	$19.20
11	New Jersey	$40,013	$19.24
12	Maine	$39,703	$19.09
13	Virginia	$39,697	$19.09
14	North Dakota	$39,572	$19.02
15	South Dakota	$37,421	$17.99
16	Utah	$35,289	$16.97
17	Louisiana	$39,165	$18.83
18	Iowa	$35,443	$17.04
19	California	$38,822	$18.66
20	Ohio	$34,471	$16.57
21	Maryland	$37,652	$18.10
22	Minnesota	$35,141	$16.89
23	Arizona	$36,728	$17.66
24	Montana	$38,692	$18.60
25	District of Columbia	$37,105	$17.84
26	Nevada	$35,613	$17.12
27	Oregon	$36,487	$17.54
28	New Mexico	$35,746	$17.19
29	Kentucky	$33,121	$15.92
30	Idaho	$35,388	$17.01
31	New York	$37,961	$18.25
32	Indiana	$32,033	$15.40
33	Oklahoma	$34,867	$16.76
34	Hawaii	$31,696	$15.24
35	Missouri	$33,591	$16.15
36	Delaware	$35,061	$16.86
37	Wisconsin	$30,483	$14.66
38	Michigan	$30,904	$14.86
39	Kansas	$32,677	$15.71
40	Wyoming	$33,524	$16.12
41	Tennessee	$30,038	$14.44
42	West Virginia	$32,409	$15.58
43	North Carolina	$29,734	$14.30
44	Illinois	$31,190	$15.00
45	South Carolina	$29,838	$14.35
46	Alabama	$27,515	$13.23
47	Arkansas	$30,268	$14.55
48	Mississippi	$27,269	$13.11
49	Florida	$30,690	$14.75
50	Texas	$29,309	$14.09
51	Georgia	$27,213	$13.08

Top test operator jobs near you

Highest paying cities for test operators

The highest-paying cities for test operators are Stratford, CT, Greeley, CO, and Derry, NH.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Stratford, CT	$51,903	$24.95
2	Greeley, CO	$43,346	$20.84
3	Derry, NH	$40,577	$19.51
4	San Francisco, CA	$40,025	$19.24
5	Billings, MT	$38,160	$18.35
6	Frederick, MD	$37,560	$18.06
7	Glendale, AZ	$36,728	$17.66
8	Beaverton, OR	$36,501	$17.55
9	Mentor, OH	$35,901	$17.26
10	Las Vegas, NV	$35,450	$17.04
11	Winona, MN	$34,615	$16.64
12	Manhattan, KS	$32,706	$15.72
13	Jeffersonville, IN	$31,621	$15.20
14	Chicago, IL	$31,288	$15.04
15	Warren, MI	$31,134	$14.97
16	Melbourne, FL	$30,574	$14.70
17	Fort Smith, AR	$30,338	$14.59
18	Kenosha, WI	$30,043	$14.44
19	Odessa, TX	$29,837	$14.34
20	Huntsville, AL	$27,543	$13.24

Test operator salary details

A test operator's salary ranges from $25,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average test operator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a test operator's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$48,000	$4,000	$23
75th Percentile	$42,000	$3,500	$20
Average	$35,591	$2,966	$17
25th Percentile	$30,000	$2,500	$14
10th Percentile	$25,000	$2,083	$12

Highest paying test operator jobs

The highest paying types of test operators are senior inspector, lead inspector, and weld inspector.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Quality Control Inspector	$35,018	$2,918	$16.84	92,794
Quality Assurance Inspector	$36,842	$3,070	$17.71	74,410
Certified Welding Inspector	$47,494	$3,958	$22.83	50,814
Quality Inspector	$33,197	$2,766	$15.96	70,978
Inspector General	$48,026	$4,002	$23.09	58,208
Mechanical Inspector	$49,727	$4,144	$23.91	33,863

Top companies hiring test operators now:

Which companies pay test operators the most?

Test operator salaries at Qorvo and Vicor are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average test operator salary at companies like Jacobs Engineering Group and ABB are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Qorvo	$83,637	$40.21
2	Vicor	$70,419	$33.86
3	Jacobs Engineering Group	$60,272	$28.98
4	ABB	$58,642	$28.19
5	Sanmina	$49,372	$23.74
6	Comtech Telecommunications	$49,158	$23.63
7	Johnson Controls	$49,032	$23.57
8	Infinera	$48,901	$23.51
9	Northrop Grumman	$48,530	$23.33
10	Carestream	$48,182	$23.16
11	Aurora Flight Sciences	$47,487	$22.83
12	Lockheed Martin	$47,471	$22.82
13	Littelfuse	$46,897	$22.55
14	Tesla	$46,443	$22.33
15	Motorola Solutions	$46,301	$22.26
16	Skyworks Solutions	$45,285	$21.77
17	Raytheon Technologies	$45,266	$21.76
18	General Motors	$44,697	$21.49
19	Schaeffler	$43,401	$20.87
20	Renesas Electronics	$43,350	$20.84

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$40,000$39,000$38,000$37,000$36,000$35,000

MaleFemale

Test operator salary trends

The average test operator salary has risen by $5,647 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average test operator earned $29,944 annually, but today, they earn $35,591 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for test operators over the last decade.

Compare test operator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average test operator salary over time

Compare test operator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Test operator salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$35,600	$17.11	+3.3%
2024	$34,400	$16.55	+2.3%
2023	$33,600	$16.18	+2.4%
2022	$32,800	$15.79	+1.5%
2021	$32,400	$15.55	+2.1%

Recently added test operator salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Aerotek	Test Operator	Orrville, OH	06/28/2025	$39,653
WME Express	Autonomous Vehicle Test Operator	Peachtree City, GA	06/27/2025	$45,914
Siemens Corporation	Factory Commissioning Test Operator-Rolling Stock	Lexington, NC	06/27/2025	$40,200
Eaton Corporation	Final Test Operator-2Nd Shift	Greenwood, SC	06/26/2025	$37,566
Anduril Industries	Flight Test Operator	San Clemente, CA	06/26/2025	$75,132
Spectra-Tech Manufacturing	Test Operator-2Nd Shift	Batavia, OH	06/25/2025	$32,349
Antora Energy	Test Operator	San Jose, CA	06/24/2025	$55,000
Aerotek	Test Operator	Vancouver, WA	06/23/2025	$41,740
Ise Labs and Subsidiary	Test Operator	Fremont, CA	06/22/2025	$41,740
Graham Personnel Services	Test Operator-1St. Shift	Durham, NC	06/17/2025	$34,436

Test operator salary FAQs

What state pays Test Operators the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a test operator?

Have more questions? See all answers to common production and manufacturing questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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