Software Quality Engineer

Software Quality Engineer Salary

$39.5K

$100K

$164K

$100,970

/year

$48.54

/hour

Software Quality Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$100,970

Columbus

Ohio

$97,527

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    How much does a Software Quality Engineer make?

    As of Jul 27, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Quality Engineer in the United States is $100,970 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $48.54 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,941/week or $8,414/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $164,000 and as low as $39,500, the majority of Software Quality Engineer salaries currently range between $79,500 (25th percentile) to $115,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $140,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Software Quality Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 36000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Software Quality Engineer in your area makes on average $97,527 per year, or $3,443 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $100,970. Ohio ranks number 40 out of 50 states nationwide for Software Quality Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software Quality Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Software Quality Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Quality Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Quality Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Redwood City, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Redwood City, CA, beats the national average by $22,653 (22.4%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $24,283 (24.0%) above the $100,970 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Software Quality 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 Nome, AK, and Palo Alto, CA, , 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 a Software Quality Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nome, AK

    $125,253

    $60.22

    Cupertino, CA

    $124,571

    $59.89

    Redwood City, CA

    $123,623

    $59.43

    Mill Valley, CA

    $122,018

    $58.66

    Sitka, AK

    $121,636

    $58.48

    San Bruno, CA

    $120,627

    $57.99

    Los Altos, CA

    $119,579

    $57.49

    Mountain View, CA

    $119,112

    $57.27

    San Francisco, CA

    $118,960

    $57.19

    Palo Alto, CA

    $118,692

    $57.06

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Quality Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Software Quality Engineer category.

    For example Sr Qa jobs pay as much as $23,154 (22.9%) more than the average Software Quality Engineer salary of $100,970. If you're qualified, finding work as a Sr Qa may help you make more money than that of the average Software Quality Engineer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Sr Qa

    $124,124

    $59.67

    Sr Qa Engineer

    $117,737

    $56.60

    Qa Engineer

    $95,168

    $45.75

    Browserstack

    $94,288

    $45.33

    Playwright

    $31,387

    $15.09

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Software Quality Engineer salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $100,970 per year or $48.54 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.