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 $76,748, a Quality Assurance Engineer II (2-4 years)earns $90,327, a Quality Assurance Engineer III (4-7 years)earns $102,165, a Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $127,041, a Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $152,437,

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 $85,441, California $85,117, Massachusetts $83,983. 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: $128,823; QA Engineer III: $102,566; QA Automation Engineer: $87,755; QA Regression Engineer: $80,652; QA Product Engineer: $79,380.

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 May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Staff QA Engineer in the United States is $77,169 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): $88,093
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $70,678 to $82,887
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $64,768

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Staff QA Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$82,887	$6,907	$1,594	$40
Average	$77,169	$6,431	$1,484	$37
25th Percentile	$70,678	$5,890	$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): $76,748
Early Career (1-2 years): $90,327
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $102,165
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $127,041
Expert (over 8 years): $152,437

Levels	Salary
Staff QA ... Level Staff QA Engineer	$76,748
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$90,327
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$102,165
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$127,041
Quality A... Level Staff QA Engineer	$152,437

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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: $85,441.
California: $85,117.
Massachusetts: $83,983.

District of Columbia $85,441 California $85,117 Massachusetts $83,983 Washington $83,674 New Jersey $83,643 Alaska $83,535 Connecticut $82,470 New York $82,038

Hawaii $80,657 Rhode Island $80,008 Maryland $79,569 Minnesota $78,967 Colorado $78,735 Illinois $78,658 Oregon $78,365 Delaware $78,149

New Hampshire $78,013 Virginia $77,709 Pennsylvania $76,821 Nevada $76,374 North Dakota $76,227 Michigan $75,996 Wisconsin $75,911 Vermont $75,741

Texas $75,270 Maine $75,239 Arizona $75,193 Ohio $75,139 Georgia $74,429 Indiana $74,074 Wyoming $74,005 Utah $73,897

Iowa $73,850 Kansas $73,480 Louisiana $73,372 North Carolina $73,333 Missouri $73,318 Florida $73,017 Montana $72,855 Nebraska $72,701

Kentucky $72,616 South Carolina $72,307 Tennessee $72,114 Idaho $72,037 New Mexico $71,474 Oklahoma $71,350 Alabama $70,895 South Dakota $70,131

Arkansas $69,714 West Virginia $69,490 Mississippi $68,819

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: $97,333
San Francisco: $96,267
Oakland: $94,238

San Jose, CA $97,333

San Francisco, CA $96,267

Oakland, CA $94,238

New York, NY $88,851

Paramus, NJ $87,771

Queens Village, NY $87,767

Passaic, NJ $87,694

Bergenfield, NJ $87,687

Stamford, CT $87,517

Huntington, NY $87,485

Newark, NJ $86,915

Bridgeport, CT $86,752

Vallejo, CA $86,599

New Brunswick, NJ $86,568

Petaluma, CA $86,521

Middlesex, NJ $86,375

Somerset, NJ $86,321

Santa Cruz, CA $86,220

Boston, MA $85,750

Monterey, CA $85,479

Seattle, WA $85,302

Santa Rosa, CA $85,287

Los Angeles, CA $85,264

Juneau, AK $85,063

Washington, DC $84,978

Orange, CA $84,703

Santa Ana, CA $84,500

Long Beach, CA $84,422

Anaheim, CA $84,407

Anchorage, AK $84,368

Santa Maria, CA $84,137

Everett, WA $84,121

Danbury, CT $83,850

Bremerton, WA $83,743

Tacoma, WA $83,466

New Suffolk, NY $83,464

Sacramento, CA $83,442

Santa Barbara, CA $83,358

Trenton, NJ $83,273

San Diego, CA $83,273

Brockton, MA $83,188

Fairbanks, AK $82,999

Lompoc, CA $82,802

Lowell, MA $82,739

Ventura, CA $82,725

Nashua, NH $82,709

Stockton, CA $82,702

Modesto, CA $82,138

Poughkeepsie, NY $81,968

Olympia, WA $81,822

Kennewick, WA $81,822

New Haven, CT $81,791

Lawrence, MA $81,513

Hartford, CT $81,436

Riverside, CA $81,421

New Bedford, MA $81,343

Richland, WA $81,343

Bakersfield, CA $81,235

San Bernardino, CA $81,205

New Britain, CT $81,197

Atlantic City, NJ $81,197

New London, CT $81,166

Norwich, CT $81,143

Portsmouth, NH $81,127

Boulder, CO $80,964

Portland, OR $80,857

Worcester, MA $80,850

Minneapolis, MN $80,610

Philadelphia, PA $80,502

Honolulu, HI $80,248

Saint Paul, MN $80,211

Vineland, NJ $80,194

Providence, RI $79,970

Chicago, IL $79,746

Bellingham, WA $79,653

Springfield, MA $79,592

Baltimore, MD $79,569

Chico, CA $79,376

Pittsfield, MA $79,167

Manchester, NH $79,021

Spokane, WA $78,681

Denver, CO $78,673

Albany, NY $78,311

Troy, NY $78,280

Nassau, NY $78,197

Schenectady, NY $78,118

Wilmington, DE $78,056

Burlington, VT $77,948

Salem, OR $77,917

Portland, ME $77,678

Yakima, WA $77,601

Rochester, MN $77,362

Reno, NV $77,323

Fresno, CA $77,323

Milwaukee, WI $77,253

Detroit, MI $77,176

Ann Arbor, MI $77,163

Allentown, PA $77,153

Colorado Springs, CO $77,022

Syracuse, NY $76,983

Carson City, NV $76,983

Houston, TX $76,875

Eugene, OR $76,837

Gary, IN $76,744

Springfield, OR $76,682

Bismarck, ND $76,667

Galveston, TX $76,613

Medford, OR $76,497

Fort Collins, CO $76,466

Concord, NH $76,428

Austin, TX $76,405

Mesa, AZ $76,243

Reading, PA $76,235

Phoenix, AZ $76,227

Dallas, TX $76,204

Saint Cloud, MN $76,130

Madison, WI $76,027

Utica, NY $75,818

Rochester, NY $75,695

Des Moines, IA $75,687

Raleigh, NC $75,679

Atlanta, GA $75,563

Battle Creek, MI $75,540

Salt Lake City, UT $75,517

Lancaster, PA $75,401

Harrisburg, PA $75,293

Kansas City, MO $75,216

Champaign, IL $75,201

Kansas City, KS $75,201

Fort Worth, TX $75,193

Columbus, OH $75,180

Boca Raton, FL $75,162

Pittsburgh, PA $75,131

Richmond, VA $75,100

Indianapolis, IN $75,085

Cleveland, OH $75,077

Las Vegas, NV $74,985

Cincinnati, OH $74,985

Petersburg, VA $74,869

Huntsville, AL $74,753

Lansing, MI $74,702

Lebanon, PA $74,691

Pueblo, CO $74,684

Appleton, WI $74,661

Buffalo, NY $74,630

Dayton, OH $74,607

Racine, WI $74,591

Charlotte, NC $74,583

Saint Louis, MO $74,560

York, PA $74,514

Elkhart, IN $74,514

Gastonia, NC $74,499

Billings, MT $74,481

Beaumont, TX $74,460

Lorain, OH $74,445

Benton Harbor, MI $74,429

Toledo, OH $74,414

Binghamton, NY $74,375

Rock Hill, SC $74,367

Rockford, IL $74,329

Springfield, IL $74,298

Elyria, OH $74,290

Fargo, ND $74,290

Flagstaff, AZ $74,236

Fort Lauderdale, FL $74,190

Duluth, MN $74,144

Miami, FL $74,144

Cheyenne, WY $74,090

Grand Forks, ND $74,090

Bangor, ME $73,920

Cedar Rapids, IA $73,835

Durham, NC $73,803

Louisville, KY $73,796

Grand Rapids, MI $73,781

Hialeah, FL $73,773

Casper, WY $73,665

Scranton, PA $73,573

New Orleans, LA $73,549

Virginia Beach, VA $73,542

Akron, OH $73,503

Peoria, IL $73,403

Sarasota, FL $73,387

Nashville, TN $73,333

Omaha, NE $73,333

Green Bay, WI $73,333

Baton Rouge, LA $73,295

Charleston, SC $73,279

Jamestown, NY $73,241

Davenport, IA $73,241

Tucson, AZ $73,202

Saint Petersburg, FL $73,156

Tampa, FL $73,140

Evansville, IN $73,094

Port Arthur, TX $73,094

Bradenton, FL $73,063

Santa Fe, NM $72,924

Orlando, FL $72,785

Clearwater, FL $72,762

Canton, OH $72,600

La Crosse, WI $72,600

Albuquerque, NM $72,554

Newport News, VA $72,546

High Point, NC $72,523

Ogden, UT $72,492

Corpus Christi, TX $72,430

Norfolk, VA $72,384

Laramie, WY $72,384

Rock Island, IL $72,338

Saginaw, MI $72,322

Jacksonville, FL $72,315

Salisbury, NC $72,299

Boise, ID $72,284

Moline, IL $72,245

Fort Myers, FL $72,222

Memphis, TN $72,207

Tulsa, OK $72,168

Waterloo, IA $72,122

Spartanburg, SC $72,045

Lincoln, NE $72,006

Fort Wayne, IN $71,991

Provo, UT $71,983

Cedar Falls, IA $71,890

San Antonio, TX $71,859

Greensboro, NC $71,829

South Bend, IN $71,821

Savannah, GA $71,736

Muskegon, MI $71,705

Birmingham, AL $71,697

Winston Salem, NC $71,660

Lake Charles, LA $71,474

Anderson, IN $71,458

Lexington, KY $71,435

Augusta, GA $71,412

Greenville, SC $71,412

Lima, OH $71,350

Wichita, KS $71,342

Tuscaloosa, AL $71,342

Columbia, SC $71,273

Springfield, OH $71,257

Asheville, NC $71,134

Bloomington, IN $71,080

Knoxville, TN $70,802

Shreveport, LA $70,794

Wilmington, NC $70,694

Roanoke, VA $70,694

Topeka, KS $70,555

Frankfort, KY $70,547

Oklahoma City, OK $70,494

Chillicothe, OH $70,463

Longview, TX $70,455

Melbourne, FL $70,447

Sioux Falls, SD $70,324

Mobile, AL $70,316

Terre Haute, IN $70,285

Altoona, PA $70,239

Amarillo, TX $70,185

Killeen, TX $70,162

Fayetteville, AR $70,100

Chattanooga, TN $70,077

Sioux City, IA $70,007

Idaho Falls, ID $69,992

Lynchburg, VA $69,930

Gainesville, FL $69,830

Portsmouth, OH $69,791

Little Rock, AR $69,776

Lafayette, LA $69,745

Youngstown, OH $69,745

Daytona Beach, FL $69,699

Clarksville, TN $69,691

Pensacola, FL $69,683

Temple, TX $69,678

Hopkinsville, KY $69,452

Erie, PA $69,436

Florence, SC $69,405

Charleston, WV $69,282

Great Falls, MT $69,243

Macon, GA $69,135

Tallahassee, FL $69,128

Fayetteville, NC $69,112

Waco, TX $69,097

Helena, MT $69,043

Pine Bluff, AR $69,013

Vincennes, IN $68,919

Lubbock, TX $68,888

Alamogordo, NM $68,842

Twin Falls, ID $68,773

Rapid City, SD $68,750

Jackson, MS $68,611

Huntington, WV $68,605

Greenville, MS $68,603

Parkersburg, WV $68,524

Montgomery, AL $68,510

Wichita Falls, TX $68,433

Springfield, MO $68,433

Biloxi, MS $68,395

Monroe, LA $68,317

Johnstown, PA $68,263

Sumter, SC $68,232

Columbus, GA $68,225

Pascagoula, MS $68,078

Abilene, TX $68,078

Kingsport, TN $67,878

Albany, GA $67,878

Gulfport, MS $67,854

Alexandria, LA $67,600

Fort Smith, AR $67,407

El Paso, TX $67,198

Las Cruces, NM $66,851

Harlingen, TX $66,655

Pocatello, ID $66,643

Florence, AL $66,542

Brownsville, TX $66,527

Mcallen, TX $66,365

Dothan, AL $66,257

Columbus, MS $65,799

Altus, OK $65,439

Lawton, OK $65,292

Pierre, SD $65,015

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	$101,091	31%
Software Testing	$94,146	22%
Jenkins	$91,059	18%
Agile	$87,972	14%
Linux	$87,201	13%
QA Automation	$86,429	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 May 01, 2026

$70,678

Average $77,169/year

$82,887

$5,890

Average $6,431/month

$6,907

$1,359

Average $1,484/week

$1,594

$34

Average $37/hour

$40

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$82,887	$6,907	$1,594	$40
Average	$77,169	$6,431	$1,484	$37
25th Percentile	$70,678	$5,890	$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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