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QA engineers in the US earn an average of $70,000-$110,000 in base salary, with senior automation engineers earning $140,000-$200,000 at top companies.
Quick Answer: QA Engineer Salary
| Level | Manual QA | Automation/SDET |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | $50,000-$70,000 | $70,000-$95,000 |
| Mid-level | $70,000-$95,000 | $95,000-$130,000 |
| Senior | $95,000-$120,000 | $130,000-$170,000 |
| Staff/Lead | $115,000-$145,000 | $160,000-$210,000 |
| Manager | $120,000-$160,000 | $150,000-$200,000 |
QA Engineer Salary by Role Type
| Role | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Manual QA Analyst | $65,000-$90,000 |
| QA Automation Engineer | $95,000-$130,000 |
| SDET (Software Developer in Test) | $110,000-$150,000 |
| Performance/Load Tester | $100,000-$140,000 |
| Security QA | $105,000-$145,000 |
| Mobile QA Engineer | $85,000-$120,000 |
| API Tester | $90,000-$125,000 |
| QA Manager | $130,000-$175,000 |
| Director of QA | $160,000-$220,000 |
QA Engineer Salary by Company
| Company | Mid-Level (SDET) | Senior (SDET) |
|---|---|---|
| $180,000-$230,000 | $250,000-$320,000 | |
| Meta | $170,000-$220,000 | $240,000-$300,000 |
| Apple | $160,000-$200,000 | $220,000-$280,000 |
| Microsoft | $150,000-$190,000 | $200,000-$260,000 |
| Amazon | $140,000-$180,000 | $190,000-$250,000 |
| Netflix | $180,000-$230,000 | $250,000-$320,000 |
| Salesforce | $130,000-$170,000 | $180,000-$230,000 |
| Enterprise (Fortune 500) | $95,000-$125,000 | $130,000-$170,000 |
| Startup | $80,000-$120,000 | $120,000-$160,000 |
QA Engineer Salary by Location
| Location | Manual QA | Automation/SDET |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | $95,000-$130,000 | $130,000-$180,000 |
| New York City | $90,000-$125,000 | $120,000-$165,000 |
| Seattle | $85,000-$120,000 | $115,000-$160,000 |
| Boston | $80,000-$110,000 | $110,000-$150,000 |
| Los Angeles | $80,000-$110,000 | $105,000-$145,000 |
| Austin | $75,000-$100,000 | $100,000-$140,000 |
| Denver | $70,000-$95,000 | $95,000-$130,000 |
| Chicago | $70,000-$95,000 | $90,000-$125,000 |
| Atlanta | $65,000-$90,000 | $85,000-$120,000 |
| Remote (US) | $75,000-$105,000 | $100,000-$145,000 |
QA Engineer Salary by Experience
| Experience | Manual QA | Automation/SDET |
|---|---|---|
| 0-2 years | $50,000-$70,000 | $70,000-$95,000 |
| 2-4 years | $65,000-$85,000 | $90,000-$120,000 |
| 4-6 years | $80,000-$105,000 | $115,000-$145,000 |
| 6-10 years | $100,000-$125,000 | $140,000-$175,000 |
| 10+ years | $115,000-$145,000 | $165,000-$220,000 |
QA Automation Skills and Salary Impact
| Skill | Salary Premium |
|---|---|
| Selenium + Java/Python | +$10,000-$20,000 |
| Cypress/Playwright | +$8,000-$18,000 |
| API testing (Postman, REST) | +$5,000-$12,000 |
| CI/CD integration | +$8,000-$15,000 |
| Performance testing (JMeter, k6) | +$10,000-$20,000 |
| Security testing | +$12,000-$25,000 |
| Mobile automation (Appium) | +$8,000-$18,000 |
| Cloud testing (AWS, BrowserStack) | +$5,000-$12,000 |
| Coding skills (Python, Java, JS) | +$15,000-$30,000 |
QA Certifications
| Certification | Value |
|---|---|
| ISTQB Foundation | +$3,000-$8,000 |
| ISTQB Advanced | +$5,000-$12,000 |
| AWS Certified | +$8,000-$15,000 |
| Certified Ethical Hacker | +$10,000-$20,000 |
QA Engineer After-Tax Income
| Total Comp | Federal Tax | FICA | State Tax (avg) | Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $80,000 | $9,000 | $6,120 | $4,000 | $60,880 |
| $120,000 | $17,000 | $9,180 | $6,000 | $87,820 |
| $160,000 | $27,000 | $11,500 | $8,000 | $113,500 |
| $200,000 | $38,000 | $13,500 | $10,000 | $138,500 |
QA Career Path
| Stage | Years | Role | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | 0-2 | QA Analyst | $50,000-$70,000 |
| Growth | 2-4 | QA Engineer | $70,000-$95,000 |
| Senior | 4-7 | Senior QA/SDET | $95,000-$140,000 |
| Lead | 6-10 | Lead SDET | $140,000-$180,000 |
| Management | 8+ | QA Manager | $150,000-$200,000 |
| Director | 12+ | Director of QA | $180,000-$250,000 |
Manual QA vs Automation vs SDET
| Role | Focus | Salary | Career Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual QA | Test execution, exploratory | $65,000-$95,000 | Limited |
| Automation QA | Test automation, scripts | $95,000-$140,000 | Good |
| SDET | Frameworks, tools, code | $120,000-$180,000 | Excellent |
QA to Software Engineer Transition
| From | To | Salary Increase |
|---|---|---|
| Manual QA → Automation | Same company | +20-35% |
| Automation QA → SDET | Same company | +15-25% |
| SDET → Software Engineer | May need to change | +10-20% |
QA Engineer Job Outlook
- Job growth: 25% (2022-2032) — Faster than average
- Automation demand: Very high
- Manual QA demand: Declining
- Remote opportunities: Excellent
Related Guides
- How much do software engineers make?
- How much do DevOps engineers make?
- $100,000 salary after taxes
- US Income Percentile Calculator
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024.” bls.gov/oes
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