Software Test Engineer
Software Test Engineer Salary
$22K - $34K
1% of jobs
$34K - $46K
0% of jobs
$46K - $58K
4% of jobs
$58K - $70K
5% of jobs
$70K - $82K
9% of jobs
$87.5K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$82K - $94K
13% of jobs
The median wage is $105.6K / yr.
$94K - $106K
19% of jobs
$106K - $118K
19% of jobs
$122.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$118K - $130K
17% of jobs
$130K - $142K
11% of jobs
$142K - $154K
4% of jobs
$22K
$106K
$152.5K
$107,014
/year
$51.45
/hour
Software Test Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$107,014
Columbus
Ohio
$103,365
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How much does a Software Test Engineer make?
As of Jun 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Test Engineer in the United States is $107,014 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $51.45 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,057/week or $8,917/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $152,500 and as low as $22,000, the majority of Software Test Engineer salaries currently range between $87,500 (25th percentile) to $122,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $139,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Software Test Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 34500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Software Test Engineer in your area makes on average $103,365 per year, or $3,649 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $107,014. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Software Test Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for 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 a Software Test Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Test Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Test Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $24,018 (22.4%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $25,736 (24.0%) above the $107,014 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a 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 Nome, AK, and San Francisco, 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 Test Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $132,750 | $63.82 |
Cupertino, CA | $132,028 | $63.48 |
Berkeley, CA | $131,032 | $63.00 |
Sitka, AK | $128,917 | $61.98 |
South San Francisco, CA | $128,596 | $61.83 |
Los Altos, CA | $126,737 | $60.93 |
Mountain View, CA | $126,242 | $60.69 |
Menlo Park, CA | $126,111 | $60.63 |
San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $126,081 | $60.62 |
San Francisco, CA | $126,081 | $60.62 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Test Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Software Test Engineer category.
For example Senior Software Quality Engineer jobs pay as much as $17,110 (16.0%) more than the average Software Test Engineer salary of $107,014. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Software Quality Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Software Test Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Software Quality Engineer | $124,124 | $59.67 |
Freelance Sdet | $107,212 | $51.54 |
Test Development Engineer | $107,014 | $51.45 |
Automation Test Lead | $105,126 | $50.54 |
Associate Test Engineer | $82,636 | $39.73 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
