QA Engineer salary in United States
QA Engineer roles in United States span technology teams from startups to enterprise employers. Below are entry, junior, mid, senior and lead gross salary bands for QA Engineer positions—each links to a dedicated page with tax and FAQ detail.
Figures use Toolminator's static salary model (ranges for comparison, not job listings). Methodology & limitations.
Role benchmark (model)
QA Engineer sits in our Technology category. The US reference midpoint for mid-level gross pay is about $95,000 before country and seniority adjustments.United States pages apply cost-of-living, FX, and level multipliers on top of that anchor.
- Demand signal
medium
- Pay trend
stable
- Model multiplier
0.98×
Demand and pay growth are modeled near long-run averages for this occupation.
Not a live job board or employer survey. See methodology & limitations.
Directional trend (estimated model)
StableQA Engineer
Demand and pay adjustments are modeled near long-run averages for this occupation in our catalog.
Directional only—not historic BLS/payroll data or a prediction of future offers. Derived from role demand multipliers and growth tags in our static catalog.
View QA Engineer global country ranking →
Junior vs mid vs senior
QA Engineer salaries in United States
US employers quote base salary separately from annual bonus and equity refresh grants, so headline ranges on job boards understate total compensation at larger companies. Our 2026 model places QA Engineer at a mid-level reference of $95,000 before country and cost-of-living adjustments, with demand marked stable. In practice the local band is set by which employers you target — typically startups, big tech and product companies.
How we build the QA Engineer band for United States
Manual QA bands are compressing while test-automation and SDET bands hold steady — the title matters more than the years. The three level bands below apply a fixed multiplier to a country-adjusted reference, then narrow the range with level-specific spreads. What moves a qa engineer offer up inside a band is test automation, CI pipelines and exploratory testing, and what moves it down is local comp quirks.
Similar jobs in United States
QA Engineer salaries in other countries
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a QA Engineer make in United States?
- A mid-level QA Engineer (3–6 years experience) in United States typically earns $83,790 to $104,272 gross per year, with a midpoint near $94,031, according to our 2026 model.
- What is the average QA Engineer salary in United States for mid-level roles?
- Our 2026 model shows a typical range of $83,790 to $104,272, with a midpoint near $94,031 gross per year before tax. Actual offers vary by city, employer, and skills.
- What salary range should a QA Engineer with 3–6 years experience expect?
- Our model puts 3–6 years experience (mid-level level) at $83,790 to $104,272 gross per year in United States. Total compensation can run higher once bonus or equity is included at larger employers.
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