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Staff QA Engineer Salary in the United States

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

As of November 01, 2026, the average salary for a Staff QA Engineer in the United States is $77,151 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): $88,081
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $70,671 to $82,872
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $64,771
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs
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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): $76,730
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $90,313
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $102,149
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $127,073
  • Expert (over 8 years): $152,447
Levels Salary
Staff QA ... Level Staff QA Engineer$76,730
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer$90,313
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer$102,149
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer$127,073
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer$152,447
View as Graph

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: $85,421.
  • California: $85,097.
  • Massachusetts: $83,963.

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: $97,310
  • San Francisco: $96,245
  • Oakland: $94,216

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.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 4.09%
Software Development 2.91%
Scrum 2.02%
See More Skills

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 $101,067
31%
Software Testing $94,124
22%
Jenkins $91,038
18%
Get Latest Data

Staff QA Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Staff QA Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 35% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Staff QA Engineer positions in Telecom or Retail & Wholesale typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Staff QA Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Staff QA Engineer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Financial Services$92,581$45.020%
Pharmaceuticals$92,581$45.020%
Biotechnology$88,723$43.015%
Energy & Utilities$84,866$41.010%
Aerospace & Defense$81,008$39.05%

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
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 November 01, 2026
$70,671
Average $77,151/year
$82,872
$5,889
Average $6,429/month
$6,906
$1,359
Average $1,484/week
$1,594
$34
Average $37/hour
$40
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $82,872 $6,906 $1,594 $40
Average $77,151 $6,429 $1,484 $37
25th Percentile $70,671 $5,889 $1,359 $34

Most common benefits for Staff QA Engineer

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Staff QA Engineer

Here are companies hiring for Staff QA Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Staff QA Engineer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Staff QA Engineer?

The Financial Services industry offers the highest average compensation for Staff QA Engineer roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

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.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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