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Quality Program Manager Salary in the United States

How much does a Quality Program Manager make in the United States?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Quality Program Manager in the United States is $147,942 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $71.

However, a Quality Program Manager's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $181,793
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $135,062 to $165,661
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $123,335
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Quality Program Manager Salaries

A Quality Program Manager'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 Quality Program Manager Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Quality Program Manager'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): $141,895
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $142,464
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $143,413
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $144,742
  • Expert (over 8 years): $146,640
Levels Salary
Entry Level Quality Program Manager$141,895
Intermediate Level Quality Program Manager$142,464
Senior Level Quality Program Manager$143,413
Specialist Level Quality Program Manager$144,742
Expert Level Quality Program Manager$146,640
View as Graph

How Do Quality Program Manager 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 Quality Program Managers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $163,801.
  • California: $163,180.
  • Massachusetts: $161,005.

Top Paying Cities for Quality Program Managers

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: $186,599
  • San Francisco: $184,556
  • Oakland: $180,667

What Skills Can Increase a Quality Program Manager's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 9.53% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Scrum (Mentioned in 1.25% Job Postings): Using an agile process for managing the lifecycle development of software products.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 1.01% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 9.53%
Scrum 1.25%
Continuous Improvement 1.01%
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 Quality Program Manager's salary.

  • Software Development: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
  • Scrum: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
  • Product Development: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Software Development $159,777
8%
Scrum $158,298
7%
Product Development $158,298
7%
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Quality Program Manager Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Quality Program Manager roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 68% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average. In contrast, Quality Program Manager positions in Transportation or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Quality Program Manager as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Quality Program Manager

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$192,325$92.030%
Pharmaceuticals$184,928$89.025%
Financial Services$177,530$85.020%
Internet$171,613$83.016%
Biotechnology$170,133$82.015%

How Education impacts a Quality Program Manager's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Quality Program Managers 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 Quality Program Manager with a Bachelor's Degree is between $143,102 and $154,962).

Quality Program Manager Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Quality Program Manager
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.3%
High School 4.0%
Associates 3.4%
Bachelors 37.5%
Masters 51.7%
Doctorate 3.1%
View as Graph

Quality Program Manager Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Quality Program Manager'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 September 01, 2026
$135,062
Average $147,942/year
$165,661
$11,255
Average $12,329/month
$13,805
$2,597
Average $2,845/week
$3,186
$65
Average $71/hour
$80
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $165,661 $13,805 $3,186 $80
Average $147,942 $12,329 $2,845 $71
25th Percentile $135,062 $11,255 $2,597 $65

Most common benefits for Quality Program Manager

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

Common company salaries for Quality Program Manager

Here are companies hiring for Quality Program Manager and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Quality Program Manager

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Quality Program Manager?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Quality Program Manager roles, with salaries approximately 30% 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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