Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

More data on this career

Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round software quality assurance analysts and testers ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $65,000 with a high school diploma or GED, $75,100 with some college or an associate's degree, $89,300 with a bachelor's degree and $111,700 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.

Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of software quality assurance analysts and testers work in Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (52%), Finance and Insurance (11%), Manufacturing (10%) and Information (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).

Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most software quality assurance analysts and testers are Computer Systems Design and Related Services (31% of the jobs counted, median pay $99,960), Software Publishers (9% of the jobs counted, median pay $101,070), Management of Companies and Enterprises (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $107,990), Employment Services (4% of the jobs counted, median pay $102,200) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing ($135,150), Scientific Research and Development Services ($129,800), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services ($110,420). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.

What workers studied. Among software quality assurance analysts and testers with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Computer Science (10%), Computer and Information Systems (9%), Electrical Engineering (7%) and Business Management and Administration (6%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).

Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Software and web developers, programmers, and testers", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 1.7 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 5 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.

Union membership. In the broad group "Computer and mathematical", which includes this career, 3.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,665 for union members and $2,045 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to software quality assurance analysts and testers.

Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For software quality assurance analysts and testers, employers filed 19,226 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 28,833 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $103,500 (the middle half ran from $86,900 to $126,900) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.

Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to software quality assurance analysts and testers, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).

Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for software quality assurance analysts and testers are: e-mail (100%), spend time sitting (97%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (97%), importance of being exact or accurate (94%), freedom to make decisions (88%), determine tasks, priorities and goals (85%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (29% of 34 respondents) was "over 6 months, up to and including 1 year". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to software quality assurance analysts and testers in the work done and the skills used: Software Developers, Validation Engineers, Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, Penetration Testers, Computer Systems Analysts, Database Architects, Computer Programmers, Computer Hardware Engineers (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).

Pay by state. See what software quality assurance analysts and testers earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).

Compare software quality assurance analysts and testers with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →