Software Testing Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Software Testing Engineer make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Software Testing Engineer in the United States is $52,600 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $25.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $66,478
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $45,592 to $59,864
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $39,211
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View as table View as graph 25% $45,592 10% $39,211 90% $66,478 75% $59,864 $52,600 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Software Testing Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $59,864 $4,989 $1,151 $29
Average $52,600 $4,383 $1,012 $25
25th Percentile $45,592 $3,799 $877 $22
Check out Software Testing Engineer Job Openings in the United States
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Key Factors That Influence Software Testing Engineer Salaries

A Software Testing 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 and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Software Testing Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Software Testing 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): $50,945
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $52,114
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $55,073
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $56,943
  • Expert (over 8 years): $57,177
Levels Salary
Entry Level Software Testing Engineer$50,945
Intermediate Level Software Testing Engineer$52,114
Senior Level Software Testing Engineer$55,073
Specialist Level Software Testing Engineer$56,943
Expert Level Software Testing Engineer$57,177
$50,945 0 yr
$52,114 < 2 yrs
$55,073 2-4 yrs
$56,943 5-8 yrs
$57,177 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Software Testing 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: $66,345
  • San Francisco: $65,693
  • Oakland: $64,235

What Skills Can Increase a Software Testing Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 6.51% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Software Testing (Mentioned in 2.91% Job Postings): Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the software product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software implementation. Test techniques include the process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding software bugs (errors or other defects), and verifying that the software product is fit for use. Software testing involves the execution of a software component or system component to evaluate one or more properties of interest. In general, these properties indicate the extent to which the component or system under test: meets the requirements that guided its design and development, responds correctly to all kinds of inputs, performs its functions within an acceptable time, it is sufficiently usable, can be installed and run in its intended environments, and achieves the general result its stakeholders desire.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 2.27% 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.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 6.51%
Software Testing 2.91%
Software Development 2.27%
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 Software Testing Engineer's salary.
  • IDEA: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Social Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Penetration Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
IDEA
$58,386
11%
Social Engineering
$57,334
9%
Penetration Testing
$56,808
8%
Cybersecurity
$56,808
8%
Python
$56,282
7%
Software Development
$56,282
7%
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Software Testing Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Software Testing 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 January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Software Testing Engineer

Salaries for a Software Testing Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $54,980 in 2023 to around $55,992 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Software Testing Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Software Testing Engineer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$54,980
2024
$56,313
2025
$55,992
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $54,980
2024 $56,313
2025 $55,992
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Software Testing Engineer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Software Testing 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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