Occupation overview

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers Salary in the United States

The median annual wage for software quality assurance analysts and testers is $104,300, or $50.14 per hour. About 186,740 people work in this occupation nationwide. Wages vary substantially by state — from $128,740 in California to $62,300 in West Virginia.

Median annual
$104,300
Median hourly
$50.14
Entry level (P10)
$61,440
Top 10% (P90)
$167,010
Employment
186,740
States covered
46

Wage distribution nationwide

Earnings spread across all U.S. workers in this occupation.

10th percentile90th percentile
$61,440
$80,310
$104,300
$133,180
$61,440$104,300$167,010
Annual wage distribution. Highlighted segment contains the median of $104,300.

Salary by state

All 46 states with published data, ranked by median annual wage.

#StateMedian annual Median hourlyEmployment Location quotient
1California$128,740$61.8927,7101.27
2Washington$128,480$61.777,9701.87
3Colorado$123,690$59.475,1101.48
4Massachusetts$122,210$58.766,6401.52
5Virginia$121,590$58.4610,1602.06
6New York$121,240$58.2910,4600.90
7New Jersey$119,470$57.446,5501.27
8New Mexico$116,580$56.054500.43
9Maryland$111,100$53.415,8801.77
10Oregon$108,440$52.131,8400.78
11New Hampshire$107,100$51.497700.94
12Delaware$106,060$50.995200.90
13Illinois$104,910$50.446,5300.89
14Montana$103,930$49.971500.24
15District of Columbia$103,340$49.687600.90
16Georgia$103,040$49.547,1101.21
17Hawaii$102,930$49.49——
18Texas$101,850$48.9719,5901.16
19Rhode Island$101,790$48.944000.66
20Minnesota$101,700$48.892,6300.74
21Alabama$101,500$48.801,7600.69
22Arizona$100,650$48.393,8901.00
23North Carolina$100,390$48.278,8901.50
24Florida$100,210$48.1810,3200.87
25Michigan$98,720$47.463,4800.66
26Nebraska$98,010$47.121,2401.01
27Ohio$98,000$47.124,4000.66
28Connecticut$97,740$46.991,1600.57
29South Carolina$97,500$46.881,7400.63
30Kansas$94,490$45.431,1400.66
31Pennsylvania$93,030$44.734,5300.62
32Tennessee$91,040$43.771,5300.39
33Wisconsin$89,400$42.983,8001.08
34Iowa$88,590$42.591,0000.53
35Indiana$87,020$41.841,6100.42
36Maine$86,050$41.373900.51
37Missouri$85,530$41.122,9300.83
38North Dakota$83,920$40.352000.39
39Utah$82,100$39.472,6001.25
40Mississippi$79,890$38.413500.25
41Kentucky$79,100$38.038900.37
42Oklahoma$77,700$37.361,6200.79
43Vermont$76,580$36.821700.45
44South Dakota$68,120$32.752200.40
45Louisiana$66,810$32.124500.19
46West Virginia$62,300$29.953900.46

Related occupations

Same job family, ranked by national employment.

Frequently asked questions

How much do software quality assurance analysts and testers make?

The median annual wage for software quality assurance analysts and testers in the United States is $104,300, or $50.14 per hour. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) earn $61,440, and the top 10% earn $167,010.

How many software quality assurance analysts and testers are employed in the U.S.?

About 186,740 people work as software quality assurance analysts and testers nationwide.

Which state pays software quality assurance analysts and testers the most?

California pays the most at a median of $128,740, followed by Washington ($128,480) and Colorado ($123,690).

Which state pays software quality assurance analysts and testers the least?

West Virginia has the lowest median at $62,300.

Where are software quality assurance analysts and testers jobs most concentrated?

The location quotient measures employment concentration relative to the national average. The highest is Virginia at 2.06×.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025. Retrieved 2026-10-26. bls.gov/oes