Entry Level Software Test Engineer Salary in California
$23.7K - $38.5K
1% of jobs
$38.5K - $53.3K
6% of jobs
$62.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$53.3K - $68.1K
28% of jobs
$68.1K - $82.9K
11% of jobs
The median wage is $87.2K / yr.
$82.9K - $97.7K
13% of jobs
$97.7K - $112.5K
15% of jobs
$113.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$112.5K - $127.3K
8% of jobs
$127.3K - $142.1K
7% of jobs
$142.1K - $156.9K
5% of jobs
$156.9K - $171.7K
3% of jobs
$171.7K - $186.5K
3% of jobs
$23.7K
$91.8K
$186.5K
$103,490
/year
$49.75
/hour
Entry Level Software Test Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$104,863
California
California
$103,490
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How much does an Entry Level Software Test Engineer make in California?
As of Aug 24, 2026, the average annual pay for an Entry Level Software Test Engineer in California is $103,490 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $49.75 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,990/week or $8,624/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $186,524 and as low as $23,686, the majority of Entry Level Software Test Engineer salaries currently range between $64,100 (25th percentile) to $118,400 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $158,891 annually in California. The average pay range for an Entry Level Software Test Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 54300), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
California ranks number 50 out of 50 states nationwide for Entry Level Software Test Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Entry Level Software Test Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Entry Level Software Test Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Entry Level Software Test Engineer Jobs in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Entry Level Software Test Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Cupertino, , with Berkeley, and Sunnyvale, close behind in the second and third positions. Sunnyvale, beats the average in California by $21,266 (20.5%), and Cupertino, furthers that trend with another $25,884 (25.0%) above the $103,490 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Entry Level Software Test Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Cupertino, and San Jose, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for an Entry Level Software Test Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino | $129,374 | $62.20 |
Berkeley | $128,398 | $61.73 |
Sunnyvale | $124,756 | $59.98 |
Menlo Park | $123,576 | $59.41 |
San Francisco | $123,547 | $59.40 |
Palo Alto | $123,411 | $59.33 |
Santa Clara | $123,115 | $59.19 |
Livermore | $123,003 | $59.14 |
Mountain View | $122,786 | $59.03 |
San Jose | $122,702 | $58.99 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Entry Level Software Test Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Entry Level Software Test Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $103490 state average for Entry Level Software Test Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Test Engineer Senior Software Qa Engineer | $123,916 | $59.58 |
Lead Software Test Engineer | $123,624 | $59.43 |
Automation Test Lead | $103,750 | $49.88 |
Performance Test Engineer | $95,616 | $45.97 |
Business Development Engineer | $94,895 | $45.62 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
