QA Engineer Salary Guide 2026
Shift to automated testing (SDET) mandatory for top pay.
National Median: $131,589
Range: $85K – $225K
Avg Total Comp
$155,000
Experience Level
QA Manager median $131k; SDET specialists command 20-30% premium.
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Transition Opportunity
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Metro Area Breakdown
20 MarketsSan Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA
CalculatedMedian: $177,645
San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley CA
CalculatedMedian: $175,013
New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ-PA
CalculatedMedian: $163,170
Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH
CalculatedMedian: $160,539
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA
CalculatedMedian: $157,907
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV
CalculatedMedian: $157,907
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA
CalculatedMedian: $157,907
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA
CalculatedMedian: $151,327
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN-WI
CalculatedMedian: $144,748
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood CO
CalculatedMedian: $142,116
Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown TX
CalculatedMedian: $138,168
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX
CalculatedMedian: $138,168
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta GA
CalculatedMedian: $135,537
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach FL
CalculatedMedian: $134,221
Raleigh-Durham-Cary NC
CalculatedMedian: $131,589
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI
CalculatedMedian: $128,957
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC
CalculatedMedian: $128,957
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ
CalculatedMedian: $127,641
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI
CalculatedMedian: $126,325
Salt Lake City UT
CalculatedMedian: $125,010
Benchmarks marked "Calculated" are derived from the national median using verified geographic cost-of-living multipliers. Direct survey data is used where available.