Engineer, Quality Assurance Salary in the United States

How much does an Engineer, Quality Assurance make in the United States?

As of February 01, 2026, the average salary for an Engineer, Quality Assurance in the United States is $74,011 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $36.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $84,478
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $67,813 to $79,490
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $62,171
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View as table View as graph 25% $67,813 10% $62,171 90% $84,478 75% $79,490 $74,011 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Engineer, Quality Assurance Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $79,490 $6,624 $1,529 $38
Average $74,011 $6,168 $1,423 $36
25th Percentile $67,813 $5,651 $1,304 $33
Check out Engineer, Quality Assurance Job Openings in the United States
Quality Assurance Engineer with Security Clearance

Amentum - WASHINGTON, DC

Quality Assurance Engineer with Security Clearance

Parsons - ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION, MD

Quality Assurance Engineer / Tester with Security Clearance

Plateau Grp DBA Plateau Software - FAIRFAX, VA

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Key Factors That Influence Engineer, Quality Assurance Salaries

An Engineer, Quality Assurance'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 Engineer, Quality Assurance Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Engineer, Quality Assurance'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): $73,608
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $86,628
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $97,981
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $121,812
  • Expert (over 8 years): $146,178
Levels Salary
Engineer,... Level Engineer, Quality Assurance$73,608
Quality A... Level Engineer, Quality Assurance$86,628
Quality A... Level Engineer, Quality Assurance$97,981
Quality A... Level Engineer, Quality Assurance$121,812
Quality A... Level Engineer, Quality Assurance$146,178
$73,608 0 yr
$86,628 < 2 yrs
$97,981 2-4 yrs
$121,812 5-8 yrs
$146,178 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

How Do Engineer, Quality Assurance 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 Engineer, Quality Assurances. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $81,945.
  • California: $81,634.
  • Massachusetts: $80,546.

Top Paying Cities for Engineer, Quality Assurances

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: $93,350
  • San Francisco: $92,432
  • Oakland: $90,382

What Skills Can Increase an Engineer, Quality Assurance's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 4.09% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 2.91% 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.
  • Scrum (Mentioned in 2.02% Job Postings): Using an agile process for managing the lifecycle development of software products.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 4.09%
Software Development 2.91%
Scrum 2.02%
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 an Engineer, Quality Assurance's salary.
  • Scrum: Can increase your salary by up to 31%.
  • Software Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
  • Jenkins: Can increase your salary by up to 18%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Scrum
$96,954
31%
Software Testing
$90,293
22%
Jenkins
$87,333
18%
Agile
$84,372
14%
Linux
$83,632
13%
QA Automation
$82,892
12%
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How Education impacts an Engineer, Quality Assurance's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Engineer, Quality Assurances 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 an Engineer, Quality Assurance with a Bachelor's Degree is between $71,485 and $75,711).

Engineer, Quality Assurance Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Engineer, Quality Assurance
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.3%
High School 8.8%
Associates 8.8%
Bachelors 59.6%
Masters 21.7%
Doctorate 0.8%
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Engineer, Quality Assurance Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Engineer, Quality Assurance'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 February 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Engineer, Quality Assurance

Salaries for an Engineer, Quality Assurance can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $64,335 in 2023 to around $64,595 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Engineer, Quality Assurance salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Engineer, Quality Assurance Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$64,335
2024
$64,689
2025
$64,595
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $64,335
2024 $64,689
2025 $64,595
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Engineer, Quality Assurance

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

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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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