Software QA Engineer Salary in Hoffman Estates, IL

How much does a Software QA Engineer make in Hoffman Estates, IL?

As of February 01, 2026, the average salary for a Software QA Engineer in Hoffman Estates, IL is $105,439 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $51.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $122,875
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $97,526 to $114,566
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $90,321
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View as table View as graph 25% $97,526 10% $90,321 90% $122,875 75% $114,566 $105,439 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Software QA Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $114,566 $9,547 $2,203 $55
Average $105,439 $8,787 $2,028 $51
25th Percentile $97,526 $8,127 $1,875 $47
Check out Software QA Engineer Job Openings in Hoffman Estates, IL
Software Principal Software Engineer

Northrop Grumman - Rolling Meadows, IL

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Northrop Grumman - Rolling Meadows, IL

Artificial Intelligence Software Engineer SME

CACI - Scott Air Force Base, IL

Senior Software Engineer

Actalent - Schaumburg, IL

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Key Factors That Influence Software QA Engineer Salaries

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

How Experience Level Affects Software QA Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Software 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): $78,708
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $92,630
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $104,769
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $130,251
  • Expert (over 8 years): $156,305
Levels Salary
Quality A... Level Software QA Engineer$78,708
Quality A... Level Software QA Engineer$92,630
Software ... Level Software QA Engineer$104,769
Quality A... Level Software QA Engineer$130,251
Quality A... Level Software QA Engineer$156,305
$78,708 0 yr
$92,630 < 2 yrs
$104,769 2-4 yrs
$130,251 5-8 yrs
$156,305 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Software 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: $129,810
  • San Francisco: $128,534
  • Oakland: $125,683

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

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Team Development (Mentioned in 3.93% Job Postings): Building and developing effective teams to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 2.98% 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.
  • JavaScript (Mentioned in 1.84% Job Postings): Using JavaScript in the development and maintenance of Web-based application systems.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Team Development 3.93%
Software Development 2.98%
JavaScript 1.84%
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 QA Engineer's salary.
  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Android: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Linux: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Python
 $111,766
6%
Android
 $110,711
5%
Linux
 $110,711
5%
Debugging
 $110,711
5%
Networking
 $109,657
4%
Computer Science
 $109,657
4%
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Software QA Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Software 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.

  • Yearly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Hourly
  • Table View
Last Updated on February 01, 2026
$97,526
Average $105,439/year
$114,566
$8,127
Average $8,787/month
$9,547
$1,875
Average $2,028/week
$2,203
$47
Average $51/hour
$55
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $114,566 $9,547 $2,203 $55
Average $105,439 $8,787 $2,028 $51
25th Percentile $97,526 $8,127 $1,875 $47

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Cost of Living In Hoffman Estates, IL

Cost of Living in Hoffman Estates, IL is
11.4% Higher
than the National Average

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