Quality assurance workers test products and procedures to identify product risks and issues. Learn how much you can earn in the quality assurance field in various positions.
From software to aerospace, various industries rely on quality assurance to ensure products and services meet specific requirements. Jobs within this field can vary depending on the company you work for or what kind of product or service you might evaluate. This variety also means your salary in the quality assurance field can depend on your job title and other factors, including education, experience, location, and industry.
Quality assurance (QA) is a systematic approach to ensuring that a process, product, or service meets specified requirements. It uses quality control (QC) tools to gain information about how something operates to achieve ideal outcomes and address errors or imperfections.
Quality assurance professionals perform various tests and audits to gauge specific characteristics. They also examine proactive components such as training programs or educated tool selection. Multiple industries use quality assurance to ensure their products and services will meet the requirements of consumers, regulators, government agencies, certifiers, and more. Typical industries include finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, health care, and manufacturing.
Professionals in quality assurance positions are involved in the testing and analysis of a product’s capabilities before these products reach customers. You could choose from a variety of job titles within this field. Overall, you would be responsible for creating different ways to test products or services, identifying issues and ways to avoid them, providing feedback on how these products or services perform, or managing others who fulfill these responsibilities. You may also document your testing processes.
Quality assurance encompasses many types of positions with different responsibilities and salaries. Check out these options in more detail to understand which position may be best for you.
A quality assurance specialist monitors and inspects products to ensure they meet quality measurements. You’ll need attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and communication skills.
Typical education: Bachelor’s degree in an industry-specific field such as engineering or computer science—certifications in relevant topics may be helpful
A quality engineer ensures product quality during the manufacturing or development process. They test measurements and review products to catch irregularities or defective products, and they also use technical skills to create automated tests and QA frameworks.
Typical education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field, such as mechanical or industrial engineering
Quality assurance managers oversee quality standards and procedures by monitoring processes to ensure they meet all standards. In this role, you will work toward creating and enforcing quality control systems and processes.
Typical education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering or business administration and previous experience in the field
Quality assurance testers use hands-on testing on software, video games, and digital products to ensure they meet standards and specifications. You may look for bugs or other issues affecting the product's performance or how customers interact. Additionally, you'll act as a bridge between developers, QA teammates, and clients, conveying issues and feedback.
Typical education: Associate or bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science—industry-specific certification may be helpful
Quality assurance analysts follow company-specific guidelines to find areas for improvement and develop strategies to improve a product or service. You'll collaborate with colleagues in various roles to formulate the best testing solutions for products and the company you work for.
Typical education: Bachelor’s degree in business or an industry-related field—certification in Scrum or industry-related skills such as software testing may be helpful
Quality assurance supervisors oversee the quality control process and implement procedures to improve customer satisfaction. As a quality assurance supervisor, you might also conduct training sessions on quality control procedures for coworkers.
Typical education: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, quality assurance, or a related field and previous experience.
Your particular job title in quality assurance is one of many factors influencing the salary you can ultimately expect to make. Below are some examples of the current average base salaries of the above jobs, based on data from Zippia, Glassdoor, and Payscale:
*All salary data current as of December 2024
Zippia | Glassdoor | Payscale | |
---|---|---|---|
Quality assurance specialist | $63,443 | $64,479 | $67,761 |
Quality engineer | $79,672 | $92,954 | $75,351 |
Quality assurance manager | $99,894 | $102,669 | $90,086 |
Quality assurance tester | $74,140 | $66,506 | $55,520 |
Quality assurance analyst | $73,542 | $68,869 | $64,477 |
Quality assurance supervisor | $66,145 | $64,217 | $68,756 |
Several factors may affect your quality assurance salary, such as your level of education, previous experience in the quality assurance field, or your location. Find out how these factors can impact your annual salary.
Your level of education can affect how much you make, depending on the position you want in quality assurance. The following table lists average salaries based on your education level, according to Zippia:
Associate degree | Bachelor's degree | Master's degree | |
---|---|---|---|
Quality assurance specialist | $54,316 | $67,800 | $77,664 |
Quality engineer | $70,497 | $82,256 | $91,186 |
Quality assurance manager | $96,903 | $109,970 | $125,726 |
Quality assurance tester | $66,837 | $77,502 | $84,859 |
Quality assurance analyst | $67,424 | $76,310 | $82,322 |
Quality assurance supervisor | $69,801 | $77,622 | $88,450 |
Your salary typically increases with the years you work in your industry. Outlined below are the average base salaries for some positions in quality assurance, according to Glassdoor:
Entry-level (0–1 year) | Mid-level (4–6 years) | Senior-level (10–14 years) | |
---|---|---|---|
Quality assurance specialist | $55,677 | $60,712 | $67,420 |
Quality engineer | $85,661 | $98,228 | $103,414 |
Quality assurance manager | $82,491 | $87,460 | $100,745 |
Quality assurance tester | $54,292 | $64,153 | $76,693 |
Quality assurance analyst | $55,811 | $62,979 | $73,475 |
Quality assurance supervisor | $59,498 | $64,546 | $76,650 |
Quality assurance salaries are affected by where you live, based on factors such as the cost of living or the availability of positions in that area. Some quality assurance positions may center around a tech hub like San Jose, a city with many headquarters like Chicago, or a major metropolitan area like New York City.
Zippia reports the average salaries for quality assurance positions in these three cities as :
San Jose, CA | Chicago, IL | New York, NY | |
---|---|---|---|
Quality assurance specialist | $82,419 | $55,519 | $72,748 |
Quality engineer | $101,045 | $74,523 | $80,846 |
Quality assurance manager | $135,757 | $88,749 | $99,087 |
Quality assurance tester | $85,364 | $70,618 | $79,353 |
Quality assurance analyst | $89,100 | $72,098 | $74,556 |
Quality assurance supervisor | $93,180 | $67,928 | $84,341 |
Certifications can help increase your salary in the quality assurance field. For example, earning a Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) certification can equip you with auditing skills crucial for assessing quality systems’ adequacy and deficiencies, potentially leading to increased compensation.
If you're interested in computer quality assurance, consider certifications focused on computer products, like the Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA) certification. How do these added credentials impact earnings? According to data from PayScale, a CSQA earns an average salary of $91,000, while a CQA earns an average of $101,000 annually [2, 3].
No matter which type of quality assurance job you aim for, you’ll typically need to meet specific qualifications and skills. For example, you may want leadership, problem-solving, and statistical analysis skills for a quality assurance leadership position. Other preferred skills might include knowledge of quality standards, experience with test procedures, and domain expertise.
Additionally, some essential responsibilities include the following:
Document and report quality findings and processes
Develop inspection workflows
Validate processes by documenting evidence
Measure production and analyze variances in processes
Work with development teams to make improvements
Adhere to safety standards
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects quality assurance positions in the software industry to grow 12 percent from 2023 to 2033, above the national average of 4 percent for all occupations. During that timeframe, an average of 140,100 positions will be added to the field each year [1].
Quality assurance positions should continue growing as software and product development demands rise, particularly in robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, and other applications.
Quality assurance offers several career options, many with higher-than-average salaries and job outlooks. This might be your career if you have excellent skills like attention to detail, problem-solving, and communication.
Continue learning and building your skills on Coursera. For example, consider the IBM DevOps and Software Engineering Professional Certificate to start a quality assurance career or continue your field training. In this program, you’ll master DevOps, Agile, Scrum, CI/CD, and Cloud Native and build hands-on, job-ready skills.
Alternatively, if you're interested in development, learn more with the Microsoft Full-Stack Developer Professional Certificate, where you’ll develop job-ready AI-powered skills and earn a certificate from Microsoft.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers Job Outlook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm#tab-6.” Accessed December 18, 2024.
PayScale. “Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA) Salary, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Certified_Software_Quality_Analyst_(CSQA)/Salary.” Accessed December 18, 2024.
PayScale. “Certified Software Quality Analyst (CSQA) Salary, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Certified_Software_Quality_Analyst_(CSQA)/Salary.” Accessed December 18, 2024.
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