QA Analyst Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers earn a median of $104,300 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 105% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $50.14/hr. The middle half earn between $80,310 and $133,180. The top 10% earn $167,010 or more.

The median hourly wage for software quality assurance analysts and testers is $50.14 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $104,300 annual median works out to about $8,690 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of software quality assurance analysts and testers earn less than $61,440 a year and the bottom quarter less than $80,310 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Yes, more often than not. The median is $104,300, so more than half of software quality assurance analysts and testers earn over $100,000 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). In 24 states the median itself is above $100,000: California ($128,740), Washington ($128,480), Colorado ($123,690), Massachusetts ($122,210), and 20 more.

The highest state medians for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers are California ($128,740), Washington ($128,480), Colorado ($123,690) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, New Mexico moves to the top at $126,426.

BLS does not split software quality assurance analysts and testers' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $167,010, against a median of $104,300 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are California ($128,740), Washington ($128,480), Colorado ($123,690). BLS also counts 2 specialty careers inside this occupation (digital accessibility specialist, LLM evaluation engineer), which share its federal pay figures.

Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as considerable preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.0% hold bachelor's degree.

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for QA analysts is a bachelor's degree. O*NET classes the work as needing considerable preparation.

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.7% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 10,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Software developers create the computer applications that allow users to do specific tasks and the underlying systems that run the devices or control networks. A core O*NET task: identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Application server software, Business intelligence and data analysis software.

Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 41% of software quality assurance analysts and testers usually work more than 40 hours a week, 59% work exactly 40 and 0% work fewer. 91% say their schedule is regular and 6% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers highest on the Investigative, Conventional and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 50.6% of software quality assurance analysts and testers, close to their 47.1% share of all employed people. Only 8.3% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce. The median worker is 42.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.