QA Engineer Salary for 2027
Key takeaways
- QA engineers and software testers are counted by BLS as software quality assurance analysts and testers. That occupation earned a median of $104,300 a year in May 2025, and the middle half of workers fell between $80,310 and $133,180. Your offer will depend on the employer, the city and how much code the role involves.
- Location matters a great deal. California has the highest state median, $128,740, while West Virginia has the lowest. BLS figures do not adjust for living costs, so a higher median in an expensive state may not leave you better off. Find your own state in the state table before you compare offers.
- Software developers, the occupation many testers move into, earned a median $31,680 higher than QA analysts and testers in the same release. That gap is the clearest pay signal on this page: roles that write and own production code pay more than roles that only check it, across the national figures BLS publishes.
- BLS projects QA and testing jobs to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations. BLS says the occupation’s share shrinks as companies fold testing into development and as AI automates some testing tasks, so growth here is real but slower than for developers.
- BLS publishes no pay by years of experience or by degree for testers, so this page does not either. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry education. The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full spread; where you start in it depends on the job, not on a published ladder. Compare degree costs.
The national picture
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, all industries, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- 10th percentile
- $61,440
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual pay
- $104,300
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 90th percentile
- $167,010
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
| Percentile | What it means | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | One in ten earn less | $29.54 | $61,440 |
| 25th | A quarter earn less | $38.61 | $80,310 |
| Median | Half earn more, half less | $50.14 | $104,300 |
| 75th | A quarter earn more | $64.03 | $133,180 |
| 90th | One in ten earn more | $80.29 | $167,010 |
The mean, $111,490, sits above the median because a smaller group at the top of the range pulls the average up. For a sense of what most people earn, the median and the middle half, $80,310 to $133,180, are the better guide.
QA engineer, tester or SDET? Titles vary by employer, and BLS counts them together. A role that writes test automation and reviews code tends to sit closer to development work than one that runs manual test plans, though BLS publishes no separate pay figure for either.
QA engineer salary by employer type
National industry-specific medians for software quality assurance analysts and testers, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Computer systems design and related services employs the most software quality assurance analysts and testers among the industries here, 57,200, at a median of $99,960. That is 30.6% of all software quality assurance analysts and testers. The highest median belongs to scientific research and development services, $129,800, and the lowest of these to computer systems design and related services, $99,960.
- Computer systems design and related services 57,200 employed, 30.6% of the occupation $99,960
- Software publishers 16,710 employed, 8.9% of the occupation $101,070
- Management of companies and enterprises 10,290 employed, 5.5% of the occupation $107,990
- Insurance carriers and related activities 9,890 employed, 5.3% of the occupation $101,110
- Banks and other credit intermediation 8,830 employed, 4.7% of the occupation $106,500
- Employment services 8,050 employed, 4.3% of the occupation $102,200
- Computing infrastructure providers, data processing and web hosting 7,950 employed, 4.3% of the occupation $104,220
- Management, scientific and technical consulting services 6,630 employed, 3.6% of the occupation $103,440
- Scientific research and development services 4,970 employed, 2.7% of the occupation $129,800
- Architectural, engineering and related services 4,410 employed, 2.4% of the occupation $110,420
QA engineer salary by state
Median annual pay, employment and location quotient in every state BLS publishes, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
California pays the highest state median, $128,740, 23% above the national figure, and West Virginia the lowest, $62,300. California employs the most software quality assurance analysts and testers, 27,710. Search for your state, or sort by any column.
| vs national median | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $128,740+23% | $116,296 | 27,710 | 1.27 | |
| Washington | $128,480+23% | $120,075 | 7,970 | 1.87 | |
| Colorado | $123,690+19% | $119,971 | 5,110 | 1.48 | |
| Massachusetts | $122,210+17% | $115,510 | 6,640 | 1.52 | |
| Virginia | $121,590+17% | $120,267 | 10,160 | 2.06 | |
| New York | $121,240+16% | $112,363 | 10,460 | 0.90 | |
| New Jersey | $119,470+15% | $109,807 | 6,550 | 1.27 | |
| New Mexico | $116,580+12% | $126,443 | 450 | 0.43 | |
| Maryland | $111,100+7% | $105,810 | 5,880 | 1.77 | |
| Oregon | $108,440+4% | $104,874 | 1,840 | 0.78 | |
| New Hampshire | $107,100+3% | $102,783 | 770 | 0.94 | |
| Delaware | $106,060+2% | $106,273 | 520 | 0.90 | |
| Illinois | $104,910+1% | $104,910 | 6,530 | 0.89 | |
| Montana | $103,9300% | $109,863 | 150 | 0.24 | |
| District of Columbia | $103,340−1% | $94,031 | 760 | 0.90 | |
| Georgia | $103,040−1% | $106,999 | 7,110 | 1.21 | |
| Hawaii | $102,930−1% | $93,573 | – | – | |
| Idaho | $102,110Boise area−2% | – | 560 | 0.54 | |
| Texas | $101,850−2% | $104,892 | 19,590 | 1.16 | |
| Rhode Island | $101,790−2% | $99,501 | 400 | 0.66 | |
| Minnesota | $101,700−2% | $103,144 | 2,630 | 0.74 | |
| Alabama | $101,500−3% | $114,302 | 1,760 | 0.69 | |
| Arizona | $100,650−3% | $99,950 | 3,890 | 1.00 | |
| North Carolina | $100,390−4% | $106,458 | 8,890 | 1.50 | |
| Florida | $100,210−4% | $96,915 | 10,320 | 0.87 | |
| Nevada | $100,130Reno area−4% | – | 1,270 | 0.68 | |
| Michigan | $98,720−5% | $102,620 | 3,480 | 0.66 | |
| Nebraska | $98,010−6% | $108,779 | 1,240 | 1.01 | |
| Ohio | $98,000−6% | $105,603 | 4,400 | 0.66 | |
| Connecticut | $97,740−6% | $94,344 | 1,160 | 0.57 | |
| South Carolina | $97,500−7% | $104,055 | 1,740 | 0.63 | |
| Kansas | $94,490−9% | $104,872 | 1,140 | 0.66 | |
| Pennsylvania | $93,030−11% | $95,318 | 4,530 | 0.62 | |
| Tennessee | $91,040−13% | $99,064 | 1,530 | 0.39 | |
| Wisconsin | $89,400−14% | $95,005 | 3,800 | 1.08 | |
| Iowa | $88,590−15% | $100,900 | 1,000 | 0.53 | |
| Indiana | $87,020−17% | $93,269 | 1,610 | 0.42 | |
| Maine | $86,050−17% | $88,620 | 390 | 0.51 | |
| Missouri | $85,530−18% | $94,196 | 2,930 | 0.83 | |
| North Dakota | $83,920−20% | $94,292 | 200 | 0.39 | |
| Utah | $82,100−21% | $83,013 | 2,600 | 1.25 | |
| Mississippi | $79,890−23% | $91,828 | 350 | 0.25 | |
| Kentucky | $79,100−24% | $87,694 | 890 | 0.37 | |
| Oklahoma | $77,700−26% | $88,497 | 1,620 | 0.79 | |
| Vermont | $76,580−27% | $78,143 | 170 | 0.45 | |
| South Dakota | $68,120−35% | $76,885 | 220 | 0.40 | |
| Louisiana | $66,810−36% | $75,748 | 450 | 0.19 | |
| West Virginia | $62,300−40% | $69,609 | 390 | 0.46 |
No state matches.
BLS released no statewide median for 2 states, so their rows show a metro area’s median from the same release: Idaho (Boise) and Nevada (Reno).
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Location quotient: the state’s share of employment in this job divided by the national share; above 1.00 means the job is more concentrated there than nationally. – means no published figure.
A higher median does not always mean more money left over, because prices differ between states. The price-adjusted column divides each state’s median by its all-items Regional Price Parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024, US = 100), which puts every state’s median in national-average prices. Adjusted that way, New Mexico comes out highest, at $126,443.
Top-paying metro areas
Among the 49 largest metro areas this site covers with a published median, BLS OEWS metro data, May 2025.
Metro pay spreads wider than state pay. San Jose leads at $166,530, 60% above the national median. The biggest job markets are not always the best paid: New York employs the most software quality assurance analysts and testers of any metro here, 11,460, at a median of $130,540.
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 6,480 employed $166,530
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 5,880 employed $134,630
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 11,460 employed $130,540
- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 2,670 employed $129,880
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 6,650 employed $129,690
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 8,460 employed $126,350
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 3,620 employed $123,690
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 6,050 employed $122,210
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 7,200 employed $122,210
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 2,280 employed $120,210
- Raleigh-Cary, NC 1,760 employed $110,800
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 1,550 employed $109,760
- Richmond, VA 720 employed $106,300
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC 720 employed $105,970
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 5,270 employed $105,800
The largest job markets
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median $130,540 11,460
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median $103,210 8,840
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV median $126,350 8,460
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median $122,210 7,200
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA median $129,690 6,650
What moves your pay
Each lever is the gap between two published medians, BLS OEWS, May 2025, ranked by size. Places run lowest to highest.
BLS does not publish pay by years of experience or by degree for software quality assurance analysts and testers, so this ranking uses the gaps it does publish: between places, between employers and between occupations. Each is a gap between two medians, not a raise anyone is promised.
- L1 +$88,830
Which metro you work in
Among the 49 metro areas this site covers with a published median, Oklahoma City metro $77,700 to San Jose metro $166,530
- L2 +$70,840
Moving into management
National medians, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $104,300 to Computer and Information Systems Managers $175,140
- L3 +$66,440
Which state you work in
Among the 46 states (District of Columbia included) with a published median, West Virginia $62,300 to California $128,740
- L4 +$36,000
Moving into a related occupation
National medians, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers $104,300 to Computer and Information Research Scientists $140,300
- L5 +$29,840
Which industry employs you
Among the 10 largest employing industries, Computer systems design and related services $99,960 to Scientific research and development services $129,800
How to raise your pay
What the figures above suggest, in order of how much they move the numbers.
- Know your market before you negotiate. The gap between the highest and lowest state medians is $66,440. Check your own state and metro above, and compare an offer with the local median rather than the national one.
- Write code, not just test plans. BLS expects routine testing to move into development teams and toward automation. Building automated test suites, reviewing code and working in the pipeline keep you on the side of that shift. This is our reading of BLS’s projection note, not a pay figure.
- Consider the move to development. Software developers earn a median $31,680 higher. Many testers already know the codebase and the product, which is a head start on a developer role.
- Look at the industry. Among the industries we checked, scientific research and development services pays this occupation the highest median, $129,800, against $104,300 nationally.
- Weigh a degree against its cost. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as typical for entry. If you are choosing one, compare tuition, graduation rates and ABET status in our bachelor’s ranking.
How QA engineer pay compares
National medians for related BLS occupations, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Among closely related computer occupations, computer and information research scientists have the highest median, $140,300, and web developers the lowest, $92,650. Software quality assurance analysts and testers sit at $104,300, the seventh-highest of the 9.
- Computer and Information Research Scientists 21.8% projected change, 2025-35 $140,300
- Software Developers 10.2% projected change, 2025-35 $135,980
- Information Security Analysts 21% projected change, 2025-35 $129,180
- Data Scientists 34.6% projected change, 2025-35 $120,230
- Computer Systems Analysts 7.9% projected change, 2025-35 $105,850
- Database Administrators -0.1% projected change, 2025-35 $104,620
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers 5.7% projected change, 2025-35 $104,300
- Computer Programmers -7.3% projected change, 2025-35 $100,390
- Web Developers 3.8% projected change, 2025-35 $92,650
Job outlook
BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
BLS projects software quality assurance analysts and testers employment to rise from 187,600 in 2025 to 198,200 in 2035, a gain of 10,600 jobs. Growth is only part of the story: new jobs average about 1,060 a year, about 10% of the 10,700 openings a year; the rest open when people retire, change occupations or leave the workforce.
Among the related occupations above, data scientists have the fastest projected growth, 34.6%. A projection is a model of the next decade, not a promise, and BLS revises it every year.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
How much does a QA engineer make?
Software quality assurance analysts and testers, the BLS occupation that includes QA engineers, earned a median of $104,300 a year in May 2025, or $50.14 an hour. The 10th percentile was $61,440 and the 90th was $167,010.
Is a QA engineer the same as a software tester in BLS data?
Yes. BLS counts QA engineers, QA analysts and software testers in one occupation, software quality assurance analysts and testers, so the pay figures on this page cover all of those titles together.
What is the hourly pay for QA testers?
The national median was $50.14 an hour in May 2025, with a 10th percentile of $29.54 and a 90th of $80.29, from the BLS hourly series for software quality assurance analysts and testers.
Which state pays QA engineers the most?
California, with a median of $128,740 in May 2025. 13 states sit above the national $104,300, and West Virginia is lowest at $62,300.
Which state employs the most software testers?
California, with 27,710 in May 2025. By location quotient, which compares a state’s share of these jobs with the national share, Virginia, Washington and Maryland are the most concentrated.
Do QA engineers make less than software developers?
On BLS’s national figures, yes. Software developers had a median of $135,980 in May 2025, $31,680 more than the $104,300 for software quality assurance analysts and testers.
Which industries pay QA testers the most?
Among the 24 industries we checked in BLS data, scientific research and development services has the highest median for this occupation, $129,800. Computer systems design and related services employs the most, 57,200.
Is QA a dying career?
BLS still projects growth, 5.7% from 2025 to 2035 with about 10,700 openings a year. It also expects the occupation’s share to shrink as testing moves into development teams and AI automates some testing, so the roles that last are likely to involve more code. That last point is our reading of BLS’s note, not a BLS figure.
What do entry-level QA testers make?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. Its 10th and 25th percentiles, $61,440 and $80,310, show the lower part of the range; it is an inference, not a published figure, that many first QA jobs fall there.
References
Every figure on this page comes from one of these, read by the site’s data scripts and computed at build time, never typed in.
- 1 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: national and state Software quality assurance analysts and testers: employment, annual median and 10th to 90th percentiles, national and by state. The national row is cross-checked against the BLS API. Read .
- 2 BLS OEWS May 2025, via api.bls.gov: hourly, location quotient and industry series Hourly percentiles, location quotient by state, and national industry-specific employment and medians for software quality assurance analysts and testers (24 industries checked).
- 3 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025 Metro employment and median for software quality assurance analysts and testers in the metro areas this site covers.
- 4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025, via api.bls.gov Idaho: the Boise metro area median; Nevada: the Reno metro area median, shown where BLS released no statewide median. Read .
- 5 BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 Projected employment change and annual openings, 2025 to 2035, for software quality assurance analysts and testers and the related occupations compared here.
- 6 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State (SARPP), 2024 All-items Regional Price Parity by state (US = 100), used for the price-adjusted column in the state table.
- 7 BLS Employment Projections, occupation tables 1.2, 1.10 and 1.12, 2025-35 Table 1.2, typical entry education, and table 1.12, BLS’s stated factor behind the projection for software quality assurance analysts and testers.