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Tester salary
Average tester salary
$65,202
How much does a tester make?
The average tester salary in the United States is $65,202. Tester salaries typically range between $42,000 and $99,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for testers is $31.35 per hour.
Tester salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Testers earn the highest average salary in Maryland.
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Where can a Tester earn more?
Tester salary estimates from across the web
Average tester salary by state
The highest-paying states for testers are Maryland, Washington, and California. The lowest average tester salary states are Mississippi, Kansas, and Tennessee.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for testers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $75,332 | $36.22 |
| 2 | Maryland | $75,604 | $36.35 |
| 3 | California | $75,280 | $36.19 |
| 4 | Virginia | $69,498 | $33.41 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $70,905 | $34.09 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $70,333 | $33.81 |
| 7 | New York | $66,927 | $32.18 |
| 8 | Michigan | $63,774 | $30.66 |
| 9 | Ohio | $65,629 | $31.55 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $61,404 | $29.52 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $61,652 | $29.64 |
| 12 | Texas | $59,961 | $28.83 |
| 13 | Illinois | $64,410 | $30.97 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $61,921 | $29.77 |
| 15 | Colorado | $60,126 | $28.91 |
| 16 | Nevada | $61,125 | $29.39 |
| 17 | Delaware | $58,572 | $28.16 |
| 18 | Utah | $54,691 | $26.29 |
| 19 | Oregon | $58,638 | $28.19 |
| 20 | Georgia | $60,663 | $29.16 |
| 21 | Arizona | $56,698 | $27.26 |
| 22 | Massachusetts | $58,822 | $28.28 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $59,496 | $28.60 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $54,758 | $26.33 |
| 25 | Connecticut | $59,216 | $28.47 |
| 26 | Idaho | $56,279 | $27.06 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $53,627 | $25.78 |
| 28 | Florida | $57,676 | $27.73 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $54,506 | $26.20 |
| 30 | Maine | $55,705 | $26.78 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $51,354 | $24.69 |
| 32 | Missouri | $55,368 | $26.62 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $52,773 | $25.37 |
| 34 | Montana | $53,266 | $25.61 |
| 35 | Indiana | $52,497 | $25.24 |
| 36 | New Mexico | $52,993 | $25.48 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $52,187 | $25.09 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $51,960 | $24.98 |
| 39 | Vermont | $51,022 | $24.53 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $51,235 | $24.63 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $53,771 | $25.85 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $50,633 | $24.34 |
| 43 | Iowa | $51,730 | $24.87 |
| 44 | Alabama | $50,155 | $24.11 |
| 45 | Alaska | $47,286 | $22.73 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $51,651 | $24.83 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $49,938 | $24.01 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $40,834 | $19.63 |
| 49 | Kansas | $50,018 | $24.05 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $50,035 | $24.06 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $49,431 | $23.76 |
Highest paying cities for testers
The highest-paying cities for testers are San Francisco, CA, Baltimore, MD, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $78,481 | $37.73 |
| 2 | Baltimore, MD | $75,728 | $36.41 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $75,618 | $36.35 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $70,825 | $34.05 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $70,468 | $33.88 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $70,336 | $33.82 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $67,292 | $32.35 |
| 8 | Dublin, OH | $65,319 | $31.40 |
| 9 | Schaumburg, IL | $64,778 | $31.14 |
| 10 | Raleigh, NC | $62,373 | $29.99 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $62,164 | $29.89 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $61,996 | $29.81 |
| 13 | Houston, TX | $61,070 | $29.36 |
| 14 | Alpharetta, GA | $60,604 | $29.14 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | $60,151 | $28.92 |
| 16 | Boston, MA | $58,656 | $28.20 |
| 17 | Portland, OR | $58,505 | $28.13 |
| 18 | Phoenix, AZ | $57,109 | $27.46 |
| 19 | Portland, ME | $56,155 | $27.00 |
| 20 | Salt Lake City, UT | $54,458 | $26.18 |
Tester salary details
A tester's salary ranges from $42,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $99,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a tester's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 75th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
| Average | $65,202 | $5,434 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $52,000 | $4,333 | $25 |
| 10th Percentile | $42,000 | $3,500 | $20 |
Highest paying tester jobs
The highest paying types of testers are system test engineer, quality assurance team leader, and systems tester.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance Engineer | $82,215 | $6,851 | $39.53 | 243,536 |
| Quality Analyst | $71,957 | $5,996 | $34.59 | 110,980 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $73,532 | $6,128 | $35.35 | 108,078 |
| Quality Assurance Team Leader | $97,476 | $8,123 | $46.86 | 131,886 |
| Automation Engineer | $92,597 | $7,716 | $44.52 | 133,941 |
| Quality Assurance Tester | $74,140 | $6,178 | $35.64 | 82,396 |
Top companies hiring testers now:
Which companies pay testers the most?
Tester salaries at Apple and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average tester salary at companies like Bloomberg and Apollo Global Management are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $125,455 | $60.31 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $125,092 | $60.14 |
| 3 | Bloomberg | $120,133 | $57.76 |
| 4 | Apollo Global Management | $118,771 | $57.10 |
| 5 | Morgan Stanley | $117,342 | $56.41 |
| 6 | Barclays | $115,328 | $55.45 |
| 7 | Cisco | $107,140 | $51.51 |
| 8 | Lam Research | $106,403 | $51.16 |
| 9 | Avid | $104,291 | $50.14 |
| 10 | MoneyGram International | $104,286 | $50.14 |
| 11 | Data | $103,588 | $49.80 |
| 12 | ICAP | $102,723 | $49.39 |
| 13 | Mandiant | $102,716 | $49.38 |
| 14 | FireEye | $102,439 | $49.25 |
| 15 | Parsons | $101,713 | $48.90 |
| 16 | Wabtec Corporation | $100,695 | $48.41 |
| 17 | WebMD | $99,949 | $48.05 |
| 18 | SAS Institute | $96,987 | $46.63 |
| 19 | Maxim Integrated | $96,865 | $46.57 |
| 20 | Accelerated Production Systems | $94,948 | $45.65 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Tester salary by industry
The average tester salary varies across industries:
- The average tester salary in the telecommunication industry is $74,239, the highest of any industry.
- The average tester salary in the finance industry is $70,205.
- Testers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $54,758, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for testers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $74,239 | $35.69 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $70,205 | $33.75 |
| 3 | Technology | $59,048 | $28.39 |
| 4 | Professional | $54,758 | $26.33 |
High paying tester jobs
Tester salary trends
The average tester salary has risen by $10,674 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average tester earned $54,528 annually, but today, they earn $65,202 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for testers over the last decade.
Compare tester salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average tester salary over time
Compare tester salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Tester salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,200 | $31.35 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $63,100 | $30.31 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $61,600 | $29.63 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $60,400 | $29.05 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $59,100 | $28.39 | +1.5% |
Recently added tester salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Centra Healthcare Solutions, Inc. | Testing Extensions | Chicago, IL | 12/16/2024 | $53,985 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | Penetration Tester | Fort Belvoir, VA | 12/15/2024 | $96,600 |
| HP | Cybersecurity Penetration Tester | Spring, TX | 12/15/2024 | $102,500 |
| Accenture Federal Services LLC | Oracle EBS Tester | San Antonio, TX | 12/15/2024 | $76,300 |
| Mtc | Addiction Severity Tester | Henderson, TX | 12/15/2024 | $37,253 |
| State of Georgia | Test Examiner | Douglasville, GA | 12/15/2024 | $29,218 |
| Crown Technical Systems | Continuity Tester 1 | Fontana, CA | 12/15/2024 | $37,566 |
| Mizuho Americas Services | Americas Testing Office | Fine, NY | 12/14/2024 | $150,000 |
| Insight Global | Powerapps Tester | Jersey City, NJ | 12/14/2024 | $125,220 |
| Dutchess County Boces | GED Test Examiner | Fine, NY | 12/13/2024 | $41,740 |
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