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

A Staff QA Engineer's salary grows with experience: a Staff QA Engineer (0-2 years)earns $76,753, a Quality Assurance Engineer II (2-4 years)earns $90,331, a Quality Assurance Engineer III (4-7 years)earns $102,170, a Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $127,031, a Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $152,434,

What are the highest paying states for a Staff QA Engineer?

Staff QA Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Staff QA Engineer roles are District of Columbia $85,445, California $85,121, Massachusetts $83,986. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Staff QA Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Staff QA Engineer level roles vary by specialization: QA Engineer IV: $128,825; QA Engineer III: $102,572; QA Automation Engineer: $87,754; QA Regression Engineer: $80,656; QA Product Engineer: $79,378.

How do different companies affect a Staff QA Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Staff QA 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.

Staff QA Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Staff QA Engineer make in the United States?

As of March 01, 2026, the average salary for a Staff QA Engineer in the United States is $77,172 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $37.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $88,049
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $70,657 to $82,866
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $64,726

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Staff QA Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$82,866	$6,905	$1,594	$40
Average	$77,172	$6,431	$1,484	$37
25th Percentile	$70,657	$5,888	$1,359	$34

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Key Factors That Influence Staff QA Engineer Salaries

A Staff QA 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 Staff QA Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Staff QA 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): $76,753
Early Career (1-2 years): $90,331
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $102,170
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $127,031
Expert (over 8 years): $152,434

Levels	Salary
Staff QA ... Level Staff QA Engineer	$76,753
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$90,331
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$102,170
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$127,031
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$152,434

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Staff QA 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 Staff QA Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $85,445.
California: $85,121.
Massachusetts: $83,986.

District of Columbia $85,445 California $85,121 Massachusetts $83,986 Washington $83,677 New Jersey $83,647 Alaska $83,539 Connecticut $82,474 New York $82,041

Hawaii $80,660 Rhode Island $80,012 Maryland $79,572 Minnesota $78,970 Colorado $78,738 Illinois $78,661 Oregon $78,368 Delaware $78,152

New Hampshire $78,016 Virginia $77,712 Pennsylvania $76,825 Nevada $76,377 North Dakota $76,230 Michigan $75,999 Wisconsin $75,914 Vermont $75,744

Texas $75,273 Maine $75,243 Arizona $75,196 Ohio $75,142 Georgia $74,432 Indiana $74,077 Wyoming $74,008 Utah $73,900

Iowa $73,854 Kansas $73,483 Louisiana $73,375 North Carolina $73,336 Missouri $73,321 Florida $73,020 Montana $72,858 Nebraska $72,704

Kentucky $72,619 South Carolina $72,310 Tennessee $72,117 Idaho $72,040 New Mexico $71,477 Oklahoma $71,353 Alabama $70,898 South Dakota $70,134

Arkansas $69,717 West Virginia $69,493 Mississippi $68,822

Top Paying Cities for Staff QA 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: $97,337
San Francisco: $96,380
Oakland: $94,242

San Jose, CA $97,337

San Francisco, CA $96,380

Oakland, CA $94,242

New York, NY $89,435

Queens Village, NY $88,856

Paramus, NJ $88,238

Passaic, NJ $88,161

Bergenfield, NJ $88,084

Stamford, CT $87,968

Huntington, NY $87,891

Newark, NJ $87,389

Bridgeport, CT $87,235

New Brunswick, NJ $86,980

Vallejo, CA $86,818

Middlesex, NJ $86,772

Somerset, NJ $86,703

Petaluma, CA $86,525

Santa Cruz, CA $86,224

Boston, MA $86,070

Monterey, CA $85,684

Fairbanks, AK $85,630

Los Angeles, CA $85,483

Washington, DC $85,445

Seattle, WA $85,306

Santa Rosa, CA $85,290

Juneau, AK $85,067

Orange, CA $84,812

Anchorage, AK $84,673

Anaheim, CA $84,619

Santa Ana, CA $84,503

Nassau, NY $84,457

Long Beach, CA $84,426

Danbury, CT $84,403

Santa Maria, CA $84,141

Everett, WA $84,125

Bremerton, WA $83,747

Trenton, NJ $83,600

Sacramento, CA $83,569

San Diego, CA $83,531

Brockton, MA $83,500

Tacoma, WA $83,469

Santa Barbara, CA $83,361

Lowell, MA $83,052

New Suffolk, NY $83,022

Nashua, NH $82,929

Lompoc, CA $82,805

Ventura, CA $82,728

Stockton, CA $82,705

New Haven, CT $82,551

Atlantic City, NJ $82,350

Hartford, CT $82,180

Modesto, CA $82,142

Poughkeepsie, NY $81,972

New Britain, CT $81,933

Olympia, WA $81,825

Kennewick, WA $81,825

New London, CT $81,810

Norwich, CT $81,787

Lawrence, MA $81,748

Bakersfield, CA $81,532

Riverside, CA $81,424

New Bedford, MA $81,424

Richland, WA $81,347

Portsmouth, NH $81,285

Vineland, NJ $81,270

San Bernardino, CA $81,208

Boulder, CO $80,992

Worcester, MA $80,930

Portland, OR $80,861

Saint Paul, MN $80,768

Minneapolis, MN $80,768

Philadelphia, PA $80,660

Honolulu, HI $80,251

Springfield, MA $79,981

Providence, RI $79,973

Chicago, IL $79,749

Bellingham, WA $79,657

Baltimore, MD $79,572

Chico, CA $79,379

Wilmington, DE $79,248

Pittsfield, MA $79,171

Manchester, NH $79,024

Spokane, WA $78,684

Denver, CO $78,677

Albany, NY $78,314

Troy, NY $78,283

Schenectady, NY $78,121

Burlington, VT $77,951

Portland, ME $77,681

Salem, OR $77,619

Yakima, WA $77,604

Ann Arbor, MI $77,581

Rochester, MN $77,365

Fresno, CA $77,326

Reno, NV $77,326

Milwaukee, WI $77,257

Detroit, MI $77,180

Allentown, PA $77,156

Carson City, NV $77,149

Houston, TX $77,033

Colorado Springs, CO $77,025

Syracuse, NY $76,987

Eugene, OR $76,840

Bismarck, ND $76,747

Gary, IN $76,747

Galveston, TX $76,747

Springfield, OR $76,686

Medford, OR $76,501

Fort Collins, CO $76,470

Austin, TX $76,408

Mesa, AZ $76,246

Phoenix, AZ $76,230

Dallas, TX $76,207

Reading, PA $76,161

Saint Cloud, MN $76,130

Concord, NH $76,061

Madison, WI $76,030

Utica, NY $75,821

Raleigh, NC $75,760

Las Vegas, NV $75,752

Rochester, NY $75,698

Des Moines, IA $75,690

Atlanta, GA $75,567

Battle Creek, MI $75,544

Salt Lake City, UT $75,520

Lancaster, PA $75,405

Champaign, IL $75,389

Harrisburg, PA $75,297

Durham, NC $75,227

Kansas City, MO $75,219

Kansas City, KS $75,204

Fort Worth, TX $75,196

Boca Raton, FL $75,165

Cleveland, OH $75,158

Columbus, OH $75,142

Pittsburgh, PA $75,135

Richmond, VA $75,104

Indianapolis, IN $75,088

Cincinnati, OH $74,988

Petersburg, VA $74,872

Billings, MT $74,702

Lansing, MI $74,702

Huntsville, AL $74,702

Lebanon, PA $74,695

Dayton, OH $74,687

Pueblo, CO $74,687

Appleton, WI $74,664

Buffalo, NY $74,633

Racine, WI $74,594

Charlotte, NC $74,587

Saint Louis, MO $74,563

Springfield, IL $74,533

Elkhart, IN $74,517

York, PA $74,517

Gastonia, NC $74,509

Benton Harbor, MI $74,509

Beaumont, TX $74,463

Lorain, OH $74,448

Toledo, OH $74,417

Binghamton, NY $74,378

Rock Hill, SC $74,371

Rockford, IL $74,332

Fargo, ND $74,293

Elyria, OH $74,293

Flagstaff, AZ $74,239

Fort Lauderdale, FL $74,193

Miami, FL $74,147

Duluth, MN $74,023

Bangor, ME $73,923

Cedar Rapids, IA $73,838

Louisville, KY $73,799

Grand Rapids, MI $73,784

Hialeah, FL $73,776

Casper, WY $73,668

Scranton, PA $73,576

New Orleans, LA $73,553

Virginia Beach, VA $73,545

Akron, OH $73,506

Peoria, IL $73,406

Sarasota, FL $73,390

Green Bay, WI $73,336

Baton Rouge, LA $73,298

Charleston, SC $73,282

Nashville, TN $73,259

Jamestown, NY $73,244

Davenport, IA $73,244

Tucson, AZ $73,205

Cheyenne, WY $73,182

Saint Petersburg, FL $73,159

Tampa, FL $73,144

Omaha, NE $73,128

Port Arthur, TX $73,097

Evansville, IN $73,097

Bradenton, FL $73,066

Santa Fe, NM $72,927

Orlando, FL $72,850

Clearwater, FL $72,765

Canton, OH $72,603

La Crosse, WI $72,603

Grand Forks, ND $72,580

Albuquerque, NM $72,557

Tulsa, OK $72,557

Newport News, VA $72,549

High Point, NC $72,526

Ogden, UT $72,495

Corpus Christi, TX $72,434

Laramie, WY $72,387

Norfolk, VA $72,387

Rock Island, IL $72,341

Saginaw, MI $72,326

Jacksonville, FL $72,318

Salisbury, NC $72,302

Memphis, TN $72,287

Moline, IL $72,248

Fort Myers, FL $72,225

Waterloo, IA $72,125

Spartanburg, SC $72,048

Lincoln, NE $72,009

Fort Wayne, IN $71,994

Birmingham, AL $71,909

Cedar Falls, IA $71,893

Provo, UT $71,886

Springfield, OH $71,878

San Antonio, TX $71,862

Greensboro, NC $71,832

South Bend, IN $71,824

Winston Salem, NC $71,816

Boise, ID $71,793

Savannah, GA $71,739

Muskegon, MI $71,600

Lima, OH $71,507

Lake Charles, LA $71,477

Anderson, IN $71,461

Lexington, KY $71,438

Augusta, GA $71,415

Greenville, SC $71,415

Wichita, KS $71,345

Tuscaloosa, AL $71,345

Columbia, SC $71,276

Bloomington, IN $71,083

Roanoke, VA $71,037

Asheville, NC $70,936

Knoxville, TN $70,805

Shreveport, LA $70,798

Wilmington, NC $70,697

Frankfort, KY $70,551

Oklahoma City, OK $70,497

Chillicothe, OH $70,466

Longview, TX $70,458

Topeka, KS $70,435

Mobile, AL $70,319

Terre Haute, IN $70,288

Erie, PA $70,280

Altoona, PA $70,242

Melbourne, FL $70,219

Amarillo, TX $70,188

Killeen, TX $70,165

Fayetteville, AR $70,103

Sioux Falls, SD $70,049

Chattanooga, TN $70,003

Idaho Falls, ID $69,995

Gainesville, FL $69,833

Portsmouth, OH $69,794

Little Rock, AR $69,779

Lynchburg, VA $69,779

Lafayette, LA $69,748

Youngstown, OH $69,748

Temple, TX $69,717

Daytona Beach, FL $69,702

Clarksville, TN $69,694

Pensacola, FL $69,686

Hopkinsville, KY $69,455

Charleston, WV $69,447

Florence, SC $69,408

Sioux City, IA $69,362

Macon, GA $69,138

Tallahassee, FL $69,131

Fayetteville, NC $69,115

Waco, TX $69,100

Wichita Falls, TX $69,100

Pine Bluff, AR $69,069

Vincennes, IN $68,922

Lubbock, TX $68,891

Great Falls, MT $68,845

Alamogordo, NM $68,837

Abilene, TX $68,776

Rapid City, SD $68,675

Monroe, LA $68,675

Albany, GA $68,629

Huntington, WV $68,621

Jackson, MS $68,614

Greenville, MS $68,606

Parkersburg, WV $68,529

Montgomery, AL $68,513

Johnstown, PA $68,498

Springfield, MO $68,436

Biloxi, MS $68,397

Sumter, SC $68,235

Columbus, GA $68,228

Twin Falls, ID $68,181

Pascagoula, MS $68,081

Kingsport, TN $67,880

Gulfport, MS $67,857

Alexandria, LA $67,603

Fort Smith, AR $67,410

El Paso, TX $67,201

Helena, MT $67,101

Las Cruces, NM $66,854

Harlingen, TX $66,638

Pocatello, ID $66,568

Florence, AL $66,545

Brownsville, TX $66,530

Dothan, AL $66,406

Mcallen, TX $66,368

Columbus, MS $65,797

Altus, OK $65,442

Lawton, OK $65,295

Pierre, SD $65,017

What Skills Can Increase a Staff QA Engineer'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 a Staff QA Engineer'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	$101,095	31%
Software Testing	$94,150	22%
Jenkins	$91,063	18%
Agile	$87,976	14%
Linux	$87,204	13%
QA Automation	$86,433	12%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Staff QA Engineer's Salary?

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

Staff QA Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Staff QA Engineer

No Diploma 0.3%

High School 8.8%

Associates 8.8%

Bachelors 59.6%

Masters 21.7%

Doctorate 0.8%

view as table

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%

view as graph

Staff QA Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Staff QA 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 March 01, 2026

$70,657

Average $77,172/year

$82,866

$5,888

Average $6,431/month

$6,905

$1,359

Average $1,484/week

$1,594

$34

Average $37/hour

$40

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$82,866	$6,905	$1,594	$40
Average	$77,172	$6,431	$1,484	$37
25th Percentile	$70,657	$5,888	$1,359	$34

Salaries of jobs related to Staff QA Engineer

Salary Trends for Staff QA Engineer

Salaries for a Staff QA Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $67,087 in 2023 to around $67,358 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Staff QA Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Staff QA Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$67,087

2024

$67,457

2025

$67,358

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$67,087
2024	$67,457
2025	$67,358
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Staff QA 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.

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