occupation · 15-1253 · detailed
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers — wages and employment
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers earned a median annual wage of $102,610 in the United States in May 2024, with 199,800 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers earned a median annual wage of $102,610 in the United States in May 2024, with 199,800 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $60,690 or less, the best-paid tenth $166,960 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $101,800 to $102,610, +0.8 %. The best-paying state is Washington at $128,270; the lowest Louisiana at $50,110. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $165,700. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 199,800 | $102,610 | $110,260 | $60,690 | $79,520 | $131,870 | $166,960 | $49.33 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 203,040 | $101,800 | $108,460 | $58,740 | $78,470 | $130,630 | $164,520 | $48.94 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $128,270 | 9,220 |
| California | $127,010 | 31,530 |
| Virginia | $123,270 | 9,880 |
| Maryland | $122,310 | 6,340 |
| Colorado | $114,600 | 5,580 |
| New Jersey | $111,790 | 6,930 |
| District of Columbia | $110,130 | 750 |
| New Hampshire | $110,020 | 610 |
| New York | $108,800 | 11,140 |
| Utah | $107,170 | 4,300 |
| Massachusetts | $106,090 | 7,650 |
| Delaware | $106,020 | 700 |
| New Mexico | $105,520 | 400 |
| Minnesota | $104,910 | 2,930 |
| Arizona | $103,580 | 3,680 |
| Alaska | $103,160 | — |
| Oregon | $103,000 | 3,010 |
| North Carolina | $102,660 | 7,280 |
| Texas | $101,800 | 19,300 |
| Connecticut | $101,270 | 1,200 |
| Montana | $100,790 | 260 |
| Illinois | $100,300 | 6,800 |
| Hawaii | $99,570 | 210 |
| Alabama | $99,520 | 1,910 |
| Michigan | $98,310 | 3,500 |
| Florida | $96,700 | 12,080 |
| Rhode Island | $95,260 | 440 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,600 | 5,690 |
| Georgia | $93,500 | 7,830 |
| South Carolina | $93,140 | 1,320 |
| Nevada | $92,150 | 680 |
| Nebraska | $90,330 | 1,680 |
| Tennessee | $90,170 | 2,290 |
| Indiana | $88,870 | 1,630 |
| Iowa | $85,550 | 1,080 |
| Ohio | $83,960 | 4,000 |
| Kansas | $83,070 | 1,320 |
| Wisconsin | $81,850 | 3,820 |
| North Dakota | $81,750 | 470 |
| Kentucky | $79,390 | 1,140 |
| Maine | $79,040 | 390 |
| Vermont | $77,060 | 130 |
| Missouri | $76,190 | 2,400 |
| Mississippi | $75,860 | 460 |
| Idaho | $72,880 | 490 |
| Oklahoma | $68,730 | 1,720 |
| South Dakota | $61,790 | 350 |
| West Virginia | $61,420 | 260 |
| Puerto Rico | $50,510 | 280 |
| Louisiana | $50,110 | 540 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $165,700 | 7,590 |
| Lexington Park, MD | $159,870 | 460 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $139,580 | 7,910 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $131,640 | 7,300 |
| Rochester, MN | $128,820 | 140 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA | $128,270 | 70 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $127,940 | 3,270 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $126,730 | 100 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $126,430 | 8,740 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $125,440 | 5,700 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $123,110 | 640 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $121,520 | 13,140 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $119,530 | 160 |
| Boulder, CO | $118,710 | 550 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $118,090 | 3,800 |
| Lubbock, TX | $111,460 | 70 |
| Asheville, NC | $111,130 | 70 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $111,040 | 870 |
| Pittsfield, MA | $110,990 | 70 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $110,340 | 240 |
Machine access — free, no API key
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