Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers pay in the U.S.
$111,490avg. a year
$53.60 an hour · 186,740 employed
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the U.S. earn an average of $111,490 a year and a median of $104,300. Pay is highest in California ($131,260) and lowest in Louisiana ($68,800).
$104,300Median pay
$53.60Average hourly
+14%Avg. pay since 2021
186,740Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for software quality assurance analysts and testers
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
127,710 jobs
California
$131,260
$63.11 an hour
27,970 jobs
Washington
$131,090
$63.02 an hour
35,880 jobs
Maryland
$123,410
$59.33 an hour
45,110 jobs
Colorado
$123,340
$59.30 an hour
510,460 jobs
New York
$122,950
$59.11 an hour
6450 jobs
New Mexico
$122,520
$58.91 an hour
710,160 jobs
Virginia
$121,160
$58.25 an hour
86,550 jobs
New Jersey
$120,550
$57.96 an hour
96,640 jobs
Massachusetts
$117,270
$56.38 an hour
101,840 jobs
Oregon
$115,840
$55.69 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $92k$92k–$102k$102k–$109k$109k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $160,040 | $76.94 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $153,640 | $73.86 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $136,630 | $65.69 |
| Boulder, CO | $136,490 | $65.62 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $135,140 | $64.97 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $131,310 | $63.13 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $130,580 | $62.78 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $129,400 | $62.21 |
Related jobs
- Software Developers$148,100
- Computer User Support Specialists$67,330
- Computer Systems Analysts$114,610
- Computer Occupations, All Other$122,230
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators$103,680
- Information Security Analysts$132,510
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $105,650 | $101,500 | 1,760 |
| Arizona | $101,790 | $100,650 | 3,890 |
| California | $131,260 | $128,740 | 27,710 |
| Colorado | $123,340 | $123,690 | 5,110 |
| Connecticut | $98,740 | $97,740 | 1,160 |
| Delaware | $113,340 | $106,060 | 520 |
| District of Columbia | $107,950 | $103,340 | 760 |
| Florida | $102,560 | $100,210 | 10,320 |
| Georgia | $105,320 | $103,040 | 7,110 |
| Hawaii | $105,150 | $102,930 | – |
| Illinois | $107,950 | $104,910 | 6,530 |
| Indiana | $91,470 | $87,020 | 1,610 |
| Iowa | $91,640 | $88,590 | 1,000 |
| Kansas | $93,900 | $94,490 | 1,140 |
| Kentucky | $84,590 | $79,100 | 890 |
| Louisiana | $68,800 | $66,810 | 450 |
| Maine | $85,510 | $86,050 | 390 |
| Maryland | $123,410 | $111,100 | 5,880 |
| Massachusetts | $117,270 | $122,210 | 6,640 |
| Michigan | $96,880 | $98,720 | 3,480 |
| Minnesota | $104,720 | $101,700 | 2,630 |
| Mississippi | $83,730 | $79,890 | 350 |
| Missouri | $93,990 | $85,530 | 2,930 |
| Montana | $109,480 | $103,930 | 150 |
| Nebraska | $98,160 | $98,010 | 1,240 |
| New Hampshire | $108,730 | $107,100 | 770 |
| New Jersey | $120,550 | $119,470 | 6,550 |
| New Mexico | $122,520 | $116,580 | 450 |
| New York | $122,950 | $121,240 | 10,460 |
| North Carolina | $102,060 | $100,390 | 8,890 |
| North Dakota | $83,460 | $83,920 | 200 |
| Ohio | $95,890 | $98,000 | 4,400 |
| Oklahoma | $81,720 | $77,700 | 1,620 |
| Oregon | $115,840 | $108,440 | 1,840 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,710 | $93,030 | 4,530 |
| Rhode Island | $108,720 | $101,790 | 400 |
| South Carolina | $96,910 | $97,500 | 1,740 |
| South Dakota | $73,260 | $68,120 | 220 |
| Tennessee | $92,170 | $91,040 | 1,530 |
| Texas | $104,660 | $101,850 | 19,590 |
| Utah | $87,700 | $82,100 | 2,600 |
| Vermont | $88,530 | $76,580 | 170 |
| Virginia | $121,160 | $121,590 | 10,160 |
| Washington | $131,090 | $128,480 | 7,970 |
| West Virginia | $74,460 | $62,300 | 390 |
| Wisconsin | $97,890 | $89,400 | 3,800 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$130,580
11,460 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$107,270
8,840 jobsWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$126,100
8,460 jobs$119,570
7,200 jobsSeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$135,140
6,650 jobsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$160,040
6,480 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$117,520
6,050 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$136,630
5,880 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do software quality assurance analysts and testers make?
The average is $111,490 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $104,300 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $53.60, and the median is $50.14 an hour.
Which state pays software quality assurance analysts and testers the most?
California, with an average of $131,260 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $160,040.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $61,440 a year, and the top 10% earn over $167,010.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2021–May 2025), occupation code 15-1253. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.