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Hourly Wage for Quality Assurance Engineer III Salary in the United States

How much does a Quality Assurance Engineer III make hourly?

As of July 01, 2026, the average hourly rate for a Quality Assurance Engineer III in the United States is $48, which translates to an annual salary of about $100,759.

However, the hourly wage can vary significantly based on several factors. Here’s a detailed look at the typical pay range per hour:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $56 per hour
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $45 to $53 per hour
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $41 per hour
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View as table View as graph 25% $45 10% $41 90% $56 75% $53 $48 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Quality Assurance Engineer III Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $109,417 $9,118 $2,104 $53
Average $100,759 $8,397 $1,938 $48
25th Percentile $93,187 $7,766 $1,792 $45
Check out Quality Assurance Engineer III Job Openings in the United States
Senior Quality Assurance Engineer

Preformed Line Products - Cleveland, OH

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Geisinger - DANVILLE, PA

Maintenance Technician III

ProAmpac - GRIFFIN, GA

Quality Assurance Specialist

Aerodyne Industries - NASSAU BAY, TX

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Key Factors That Influence Quality Assurance Engineer III Salaries

A Quality Assurance Engineer III's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education, and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Quality Assurance Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Quality Assurance Engineer III's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Quality Assurance Engineer I (0-2 years): $75,690
  • Quality Assurance Engineer II (2-4 years): $89,084
  • Quality Assurance Engineer III (4-7 years): $100,759
  • Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years): $125,310
  • Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years): $150,351
Job Role Years of Experience Average Salary
Quality Assurance Engineer I0-2 years$75,690
Quality Assurance Engineer II2-4 years$89,084
Quality Assurance Engineer III4-7 years$100,759
Quality Assurance Engineer IV7+ years$125,310
Quality Assurance Engineer V7-10 years$150,351
$75,690 Quality A...
$89,084 Quality A...
$100,759 Quality A...
$125,310 Quality A...
$150,351 Quality A...
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Quality Assurance Engineer IIIs

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $127,087
  • San Francisco: $125,696
  • Oakland: $123,047

What Skills Can Increase a Quality Assurance Engineer III's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Team Development (Mentioned in 3.93% Job Postings): Building and developing effective teams to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 2.98% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
  • JavaScript (Mentioned in 1.84% Job Postings): Using JavaScript in the development and maintenance of Web-based application systems.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Team Development 3.93%
Software Development 2.98%
JavaScript 1.84%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Quality Assurance Engineer III's salary.
  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Android: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Linux: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Python
 $106,805
6%
Android
 $105,797
5%
Linux
 $105,797
5%
Debugging
 $105,797
5%
Networking
 $104,789
4%
Computer Science
 $104,789
4%
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Quality Assurance Engineer III Salary by Company Size: Startups vs. Enterprise

Quality Assurance Engineer III salary potential scales significantly with company size. Data shows that Enterprise companies (5,000+ employees) pay the highest average salary at around $112,698. While startup companies pay approximate $95,309.

Quality Assurance Engineer III Salary by Company Size

Company Size Employees Average Salary
Startup1~50$95,309
Growth Stage51~500$100,804
Established501~5000$108,832
Enterprise5000+$112,698

Quality Assurance Engineer III Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Quality Assurance Engineer III roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 100% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Biotechnology sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 50% above the average. In contrast, Quality Assurance Engineer positions in Transportation or Telecom typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Quality Assurance Engineer III as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Quality Assurance Engineer III

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense$151,138$73.050%

How Education impacts a Quality Assurance Engineer III's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Quality Assurance Engineer IIIs enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Quality Assurance Engineer III with a Bachelor's Degree is between $102,178 and $106,839).

Quality Assurance Engineer III Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Quality Assurance Engineer III
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.6%
High School 2.8%
Associates 6.1%
Bachelors 52.6%
Masters 36.4%
Doctorate 1.4%
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Quality Assurance Engineer III Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Quality Assurance Engineer III's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Yearly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Hourly
  • Table View
Last Updated on July 01, 2026
$93,187
Average $100,759/year
$109,417
$7,766
Average $8,397/month
$9,118
$1,792
Average $1,938/week
$2,104
$45
Average $48/hour
$53
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $109,417 $9,118 $2,104 $53
Average $100,759 $8,397 $1,938 $48
25th Percentile $93,187 $7,766 $1,792 $45

Salaries of jobs related to Quality Assurance Engineer III

Salary Trends for Quality Assurance Engineer III

Salaries for a Quality Assurance Engineer III can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $102,459 in 2023 to around $102,924 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Quality Assurance Engineer III salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Quality Assurance Engineer III Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$102,459
2024
$103,109
2025
$102,924
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $102,459
2024 $103,109
2025 $102,924
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Quality Assurance Engineer III

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Quality Assurance Engineer III

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FAQ about Quality Assurance Engineer III

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Quality Assurance Engineer III?

The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Quality Assurance Engineer III roles, with salaries approximately 50% above the market median.

2. What are the responsibilities of Quality Assurance Engineer III?

Performs inspections and sets quality assurance testing models for analysis of raw materials, materials in process, and finished products. Assists in developing quality control policies and evaluates production limitations. Requires a bachelor's degree. May report to an executive or a manager. Work is generally independent and collaborative in nature. Contributes to moderately complex aspects of a project. Typically requires 4-7 years of related experience.

3. What are the skills of Quality Assurance Engineer III

Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.

1.)

Team Development: Building and developing effective teams to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.

2.)

Software Development: Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.

3.)

JavaScript: Using JavaScript in the development and maintenance of Web-based application systems.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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