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The national median salary for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers is $104,291 per year ($50.14/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $80,309 and $133,182 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $167,003 per year. There are approximately 186,740 software quality assurance analysts and testers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. Document software and application defects using a bug tracking system and report defects to software or web developers. Create and maintain databases of known defects. May participate in software design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, operational characteristics, product designs, and schedules.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+10.0%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
14K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
202K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
14% from new growth86% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
57K
$99,960
Software Publishers
NAICS 513200
17K
$101,070
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
10K
$107,990
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
8K
$102,200
Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services
NAICS 518200
8K
$104,220
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$29.54
$61,443
P25
$38.61
$80,309
P50MEDIAN
$50.14
$104,291
P75
$64.03
$133,182
P90
$80.29
$167,003
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · tech sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
2.8%
Quits Rate
1.1%
Information sector openings held flat at 81K in March, but layoffs jumped to 66K (+13K, rate 2.4%) -- the highest layoff rate among major sectors. Quit rates dropped to 1.1%. Tech employers retain maximum leverage; cuts continue in pockets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average software quality assurance analysts and testers salary?
The national median salary for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers is $104,291 per year ($50.14/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $80,309 and $133,182 annually.
How much do top-earning software quality assurance analysts and testers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers is $167,003 per year ($80.29/hr). The 75th percentile is $133,182 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for software quality assurance analysts and testers?
Entry-level Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (10th percentile) earn approximately $61,443 per year ($29.54/hr). The 25th percentile is $80,309 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.