What are the main factors that influence a Sqa Engineer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Sqa Engineer's salary?

A Sqa Engineer's salary grows with experience: a Software Quality Assurance Engineer I (0-2 years)earns $73,286, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer II (2-4 years)earns $94,061, a Sqa Engineer (4-7 years)earns $114,039, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $131,689, a Software Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $153,977,

What are the highest paying states for a Sqa Engineer?

Sqa Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Sqa Engineer roles are District of Columbia $124,163, California $123,692, Massachusetts $122,043. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Sqa Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Sqa Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Sqa Manager: $139,098; Associate SQA Engineer: $133,524; Sqa Analyst: $95,322; Localization Engineer: $84,128; Locomotive Engineer: $80,954.

How do different companies affect a Sqa Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Sqa Engineer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Sqa Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Sqa Engineer make in the United States?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Sqa Engineer in the United States is $112,141 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $54.

However, a Sqa Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $124,314
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $103,031 to $118,513
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $94,737

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Sqa Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$118,513	$9,876	$2,279	$57
Average	$112,141	$9,345	$2,157	$54
25th Percentile	$103,031	$8,586	$1,981	$50

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Key Factors That Influence Sqa Engineer Salaries

A Sqa Engineer'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 Sqa Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Sqa Engineer'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:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $73,286
Early Career (1-2 years): $94,061
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $114,039
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $131,689
Expert (over 8 years): $153,977

Levels	Salary
Software ... Level Sqa Engineer	$73,286
Software ... Level Sqa Engineer	$94,061
Sqa Engin... Level Sqa Engineer	$114,039
Software ... Level Sqa Engineer	$131,689
Software ... Level Sqa Engineer	$153,977

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Sqa Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Sqa Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $124,163.
California: $123,692.
Massachusetts: $122,043.

District of Columbia $124,163 California $123,692 Massachusetts $122,043 Washington $121,594 New Jersey $121,550 Alaska $121,393 Connecticut $119,845 New York $119,217

Hawaii $117,210 Rhode Island $116,268 Maryland $115,629 Minnesota $114,754 Colorado $114,417 Illinois $114,305 Oregon $113,879 Delaware $113,565

New Hampshire $113,368 Virginia $112,926 Pennsylvania $111,636 Nevada $110,986 North Dakota $110,773 Michigan $110,436 Wisconsin $110,313 Vermont $110,066

Texas $109,382 Maine $109,337 Arizona $109,270 Ohio $109,192 Georgia $108,160 Indiana $107,644 Wyoming $107,543 Utah $107,386

Iowa $107,319 Kansas $106,781 Louisiana $106,624 North Carolina $106,568 Missouri $106,545 Florida $106,108 Montana $105,872 Nebraska $105,648

Kentucky $105,525 South Carolina $105,076 Tennessee $104,796 Idaho $104,684 New Mexico $103,865 Oklahoma $103,686 Alabama $103,024 South Dakota $101,914

Arkansas $101,308 West Virginia $100,983 Mississippi $100,007

Top Paying Cities for Sqa Engineers

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: $141,443
San Francisco: $139,895
Oakland: $136,947

San Jose, CA $141,443

San Francisco, CA $139,895

Oakland, CA $136,947

New York, NY $129,118

Paramus, NJ $127,548

Queens Village, NY $127,542

Passaic, NJ $127,436

Bergenfield, NJ $127,426

Stamford, CT $127,179

Huntington, NY $127,133

Newark, NJ $126,304

Bridgeport, CT $126,068

Vallejo, CA $125,845

New Brunswick, NJ $125,800

Petaluma, CA $125,732

Middlesex, NJ $125,519

Somerset, NJ $125,441

Santa Cruz, CA $125,295

Boston, MA $124,611

Monterey, CA $124,217

Seattle, WA $123,961

Santa Rosa, CA $123,938

Los Angeles, CA $123,905

Juneau, AK $123,613

Washington, DC $123,490

Orange, CA $123,090

Santa Ana, CA $122,794

Long Beach, CA $122,682

Anaheim, CA $122,660

Anchorage, AK $122,604

Santa Maria, CA $122,267

Everett, WA $122,245

Danbury, CT $121,850

Bremerton, WA $121,695

Tacoma, WA $121,292

New Suffolk, NY $121,289

Sacramento, CA $121,258

Santa Barbara, CA $121,135

Trenton, NJ $121,011

San Diego, CA $121,011

Brockton, MA $120,888

Fairbanks, AK $120,613

Lompoc, CA $120,327

Lowell, MA $120,236

Ventura, CA $120,215

Nashua, NH $120,193

Stockton, CA $120,182

Modesto, CA $119,363

Poughkeepsie, NY $119,116

Olympia, WA $118,903

Kennewick, WA $118,903

New Haven, CT $118,858

Lawrence, MA $118,455

Hartford, CT $118,342

Riverside, CA $118,320

New Bedford, MA $118,208

Richland, WA $118,208

Bakersfield, CA $118,051

San Bernardino, CA $118,006

New Britain, CT $117,995

Atlantic City, NJ $117,995

New London, CT $117,950

Norwich, CT $117,916

Portsmouth, NH $117,894

Boulder, CO $117,656

Portland, OR $117,501

Worcester, MA $117,490

Minneapolis, MN $117,142

Philadelphia, PA $116,985

Honolulu, HI $116,615

Saint Paul, MN $116,562

Vineland, NJ $116,537

Providence, RI $116,212

Chicago, IL $115,887

Bellingham, WA $115,752

Springfield, MA $115,662

Baltimore, MD $115,629

Chico, CA $115,348

Pittsfield, MA $115,045

Manchester, NH $114,832

Spokane, WA $114,339

Denver, CO $114,328

Albany, NY $113,801

Troy, NY $113,756

Nassau, NY $113,636

Schenectady, NY $113,520

Wilmington, DE $113,431

Burlington, VT $113,274

Salem, OR $113,229

Portland, ME $112,881

Yakima, WA $112,769

Rochester, MN $112,421

Reno, NV $112,365

Fresno, CA $112,365

Milwaukee, WI $112,264

Detroit, MI $112,152

Ann Arbor, MI $112,133

Allentown, PA $112,119

Colorado Springs, CO $111,928

Syracuse, NY $111,872

Carson City, NV $111,872

Houston, TX $111,715

Eugene, OR $111,659

Gary, IN $111,524

Springfield, OR $111,435

Bismarck, ND $111,412

Galveston, TX $111,334

Medford, OR $111,165

Fort Collins, CO $111,121

Concord, NH $111,064

Austin, TX $111,031

Mesa, AZ $110,795

Reading, PA $110,784

Phoenix, AZ $110,773

Dallas, TX $110,739

Saint Cloud, MN $110,632

Madison, WI $110,481

Utica, NY $110,179

Rochester, NY $109,999

Des Moines, IA $109,988

Raleigh, NC $109,977

Atlanta, GA $109,808

Battle Creek, MI $109,775

Salt Lake City, UT $109,741

Lancaster, PA $109,573

Harrisburg, PA $109,416

Kansas City, MO $109,304

Champaign, IL $109,281

Kansas City, KS $109,281

Fort Worth, TX $109,270

Columbus, OH $109,251

Boca Raton, FL $109,225

Pittsburgh, PA $109,180

Richmond, VA $109,136

Indianapolis, IN $109,113

Cleveland, OH $109,102

Las Vegas, NV $108,967

Cincinnati, OH $108,967

Petersburg, VA $108,799

Huntsville, AL $108,631

Lansing, MI $108,556

Lebanon, PA $108,541

Pueblo, CO $108,530

Appleton, WI $108,496

Buffalo, NY $108,452

Dayton, OH $108,418

Racine, WI $108,395

Charlotte, NC $108,384

Saint Louis, MO $108,351

York, PA $108,283

Elkhart, IN $108,283

Gastonia, NC $108,262

Billings, MT $108,235

Beaumont, TX $108,205

Lorain, OH $108,182

Benton Harbor, MI $108,160

Toledo, OH $108,138

Binghamton, NY $108,081

Rock Hill, SC $108,070

Rockford, IL $108,014

Springfield, IL $107,969

Elyria, OH $107,958

Fargo, ND $107,958

Flagstaff, AZ $107,880

Fort Lauderdale, FL $107,812

Duluth, MN $107,745

Miami, FL $107,745

Cheyenne, WY $107,667

Grand Forks, ND $107,667

Bangor, ME $107,420

Cedar Rapids, IA $107,297

Durham, NC $107,249

Louisville, KY $107,240

Grand Rapids, MI $107,218

Hialeah, FL $107,207

Casper, WY $107,050

Scranton, PA $106,915

New Orleans, LA $106,882

Virginia Beach, VA $106,870

Akron, OH $106,814

Peoria, IL $106,669

Sarasota, FL $106,646

Nashville, TN $106,568

Omaha, NE $106,568

Green Bay, WI $106,568

Baton Rouge, LA $106,512

Charleston, SC $106,489

Jamestown, NY $106,433

Davenport, IA $106,433

Tucson, AZ $106,377

Saint Petersburg, FL $106,310

Tampa, FL $106,287

Evansville, IN $106,220

Port Arthur, TX $106,220

Bradenton, FL $106,175

Santa Fe, NM $105,973

Orlando, FL $105,771

Clearwater, FL $105,738

Canton, OH $105,502

La Crosse, WI $105,502

Albuquerque, NM $105,435

Newport News, VA $105,424

High Point, NC $105,390

Ogden, UT $105,345

Corpus Christi, TX $105,256

Norfolk, VA $105,188

Laramie, WY $105,188

Rock Island, IL $105,121

Saginaw, MI $105,099

Jacksonville, FL $105,087

Salisbury, NC $105,065

Boise, ID $105,042

Moline, IL $104,986

Fort Myers, FL $104,953

Memphis, TN $104,930

Tulsa, OK $104,874

Waterloo, IA $104,807

Spartanburg, SC $104,695

Lincoln, NE $104,639

Fort Wayne, IN $104,616

Provo, UT $104,605

Cedar Falls, IA $104,471

San Antonio, TX $104,426

Greensboro, NC $104,381

South Bend, IN $104,370

Savannah, GA $104,246

Muskegon, MI $104,201

Birmingham, AL $104,190

Winston Salem, NC $104,135

Lake Charles, LA $103,865

Anderson, IN $103,843

Lexington, KY $103,809

Augusta, GA $103,775

Greenville, SC $103,775

Lima, OH $103,686

Wichita, KS $103,674

Tuscaloosa, AL $103,674

Columbia, SC $103,573

Springfield, OH $103,551

Asheville, NC $103,372

Bloomington, IN $103,293

Knoxville, TN $102,889

Shreveport, LA $102,878

Wilmington, NC $102,732

Roanoke, VA $102,732

Topeka, KS $102,531

Frankfort, KY $102,518

Oklahoma City, OK $102,441

Chillicothe, OH $102,396

Longview, TX $102,385

Melbourne, FL $102,374

Sioux Falls, SD $102,194

Mobile, AL $102,183

Terre Haute, IN $102,138

Altoona, PA $102,071

Amarillo, TX $101,992

Killeen, TX $101,959

Fayetteville, AR $101,869

Chattanooga, TN $101,835

Sioux City, IA $101,734

Idaho Falls, ID $101,712

Lynchburg, VA $101,622

Gainesville, FL $101,476

Portsmouth, OH $101,420

Little Rock, AR $101,398

Lafayette, LA $101,353

Youngstown, OH $101,353

Daytona Beach, FL $101,286

Clarksville, TN $101,275

Pensacola, FL $101,263

Temple, TX $101,255

Hopkinsville, KY $100,927

Erie, PA $100,904

Florence, SC $100,860

Charleston, WV $100,680

Great Falls, MT $100,624

Macon, GA $100,467

Tallahassee, FL $100,456

Fayetteville, NC $100,433

Waco, TX $100,411

Helena, MT $100,333

Pine Bluff, AR $100,290

Vincennes, IN $100,153

Lubbock, TX $100,108

Alamogordo, NM $100,041

Twin Falls, ID $99,940

Rapid City, SD $99,906

Jackson, MS $99,705

Huntington, WV $99,697

Greenville, MS $99,693

Parkersburg, WV $99,579

Montgomery, AL $99,559

Wichita Falls, TX $99,447

Springfield, MO $99,447

Biloxi, MS $99,391

Monroe, LA $99,278

Johnstown, PA $99,200

Sumter, SC $99,155

Columbus, GA $99,144

Pascagoula, MS $98,931

Abilene, TX $98,931

Kingsport, TN $98,639

Albany, GA $98,639

Gulfport, MS $98,606

Alexandria, LA $98,236

Fort Smith, AR $97,955

El Paso, TX $97,652

Las Cruces, NM $97,148

Harlingen, TX $96,863

Pocatello, ID $96,845

Florence, AL $96,699

Brownsville, TX $96,677

Mcallen, TX $96,441

Dothan, AL $96,284

Columbus, MS $95,618

Altus, OK $95,096

Lawton, OK $94,883

Pierre, SD $94,479

What Skills Can Increase a Sqa Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 2.96% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
Test Scripts (Mentioned in 3.27% Job Postings): A test script in software testing is a set of instructions that will be performed on the system under test to test that the system functions as expected. There are various means for executing test scripts. Manual testing. These are more commonly called test cases. Automated testing. Short program written in a programming language used to test part of the functionality of a software system. Test scripts written as a short program can either be written using a special automated functional GUI test tool (such as HP QuickTest Professional, Borland SilkTest, IBM TPNS and Rational Robot) or in a well-known programming language (such as C++, C#, Tcl, Expect, Java, PHP, Perl, Powershell, Python, or Ruby). As documented in IEEE, ISO and IEC. Extensively parameterized short programs a.k.a. Data-driven testing Reusable steps created in a table a.k.a. keyword-driven or table-driven testing.
Manual Testing (Mentioned in 2.25% Job Postings): Manual Testing is a type of software testing in which test cases are executed manually by a tester without using any automated tools. It refers to a test process in which a QA manually tests the software application in order to identify bugs.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	2.96%
Test Scripts	3.27%
Manual Testing	2.25%

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 Sqa Engineer's salary.

Products and Services: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Prioritization: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Products and Services	$116,627	4%
Innovation	$115,505	3%
Prioritization	$115,505	3%
Teamwork	$114,384	2%
Leadership	$114,384	2%
Integrity	$113,262	1%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Sqa Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Sqa Engineers 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 Sqa Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $106,639 and $111,757).

Sqa Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Sqa Engineer

No Diploma 1.1%

High School 7.7%

Associates 4.8%

Bachelors 55.8%

Masters 30.0%

Doctorate 0.6%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	1.1%
High School	7.7%
Associates	4.8%
Bachelors	55.8%
Masters	30.0%
Doctorate	0.6%

view as graph

Sqa Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Sqa Engineer'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.

Last Updated on May 01, 2026

$103,031

Average $112,141/year

$118,513

$8,586

Average $9,345/month

$9,876

$1,981

Average $2,157/week

$2,279

$50

Average $54/hour

$57

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$118,513	$9,876	$2,279	$57
Average	$112,141	$9,345	$2,157	$54
25th Percentile	$103,031	$8,586	$1,981	$50

Salaries of jobs related to Sqa Engineer

Salary Trends for Sqa Engineer

Salaries for a Sqa Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $108,413 in 2023 to around $108,028 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Sqa Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Sqa Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$108,413

2024

$108,720

2025

$108,028

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$108,413
2024	$108,720
2025	$108,028
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Sqa Engineer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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