Junior QA Engineer Salary

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Technology Headhunters uses BLS OEWS data to answer this pay question. The median pay for Junior QA Engineer in the United States is $104,300 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $80,310 and $133,180 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1253).

Broader occupation

BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1253, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. BLS reports Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. It does not report Junior QA Engineer separately or distinguish its level, stack, work arrangement or employer sector. These occupation-wide figures are not a title-specific offer range.

BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1253. Other titles in our taxonomy map to it and show the same numbers. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation. They are not experience levels.

Annual wage percentiles
Measure	Per year
10th percentile	$61,440
25th percentile	$80,310
Median	$104,300
75th percentile	$133,180
90th percentile	$167,010
Mean	$111,490

Hourly wage percentiles
Measure	Per hour
10th percentile	$29.54
25th percentile	$38.61
Median	$50.14
75th percentile	$64.03
90th percentile	$80.29
Mean	$53.60

A figure shown as "or more" is top-coded. BLS does not publish exact wages at or above $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour.

BLS estimates 186,740 people work in this occupation nationally.

Target metros

Junior QA Engineer pay in target metros, May 2025
Metro	Median	P25 to P75	Employment	LQ
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$100,050	$71,540 to $128,220	1,960	0.58
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$98,870	$77,820 to $125,930	1,930	1.11
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$104,250	$77,610 to $124,260	1,940	1.15
Raleigh-Cary, NC	$110,800	$86,710 to $135,910	1,760	1.97
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$130,540	$99,990 to $159,140	11,460	1
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$130,540	$99,990 to $159,140	11,460	1
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$103,210	$81,980 to $127,610	8,840	1.82
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$105,580	$83,310 to $130,920	5,010	0.93

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 15-1253 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, the United States. Released 2026-05-15. Methodology and mapping notes.

These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.

Recruiter's read

Qualitative view from the search team. Not BLS data.

This title is broader than the BLS occupation, so the published range is a starting point. The skills you need may sit above or below it, so compare with live offers before you commit. Talk to us if your search needs more than a published range can tell you.

Questions answered by BLS data

What is the median pay for Junior QA Engineer?

BLS reports a median of $104,300 a year for SOC 15-1253, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, in the United States (May 2025). Half of workers earned less and half earned more.

What is the pay range for Junior QA Engineer?

10% of workers in this occupation earned less than $61,440. 10% earned more than $167,010.

How many Junior QA Engineer jobs are there?

BLS estimates 186,740 workers in SOC 15-1253 nationally in May 2025.

Does BLS publish this exact job title?

Not exactly. Junior QA Engineer is shown using SOC 15-1253, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, a broader occupation. BLS reports Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. It does not report Junior QA Engineer separately or distinguish its level, stack, work arrangement or employer sector. These occupation-wide figures are not a title-specific offer range.

Which of our target metros reports the highest median for Junior QA Engineer?

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ , at $130,540 a year (May 2025).

Are percentiles the same as experience levels?

No. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than that amount. BLS does not report pay by experience.

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What changed between the published releases?

These are BLS survey estimates for SOC 15-1253, Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. They are not a projection or a comparison of the same individual workers.

United States median, annual wages
Reference period	Median
May 2024	$102,610
May 2025	$104,300

How do published wages differ by industry?

These national rows describe private establishments in BLS four-digit industry groups. Industry names are shown as BLS publishes them. They do not include government establishments. An industry figure is still an occupation estimate, not a quote for this exact title.

View the published industry table

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers national industry wages, May 2025, annual
Industry	NAICS	25th percentile	Median	75th percentile	Mean	Employment
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	221100	$83,920	$112,270	$133,730	$115,290	170
Natural Gas Distribution	221200	$97,400	$125,450	$132,680	$118,660	70
Residential Building Construction	236100	$60,830	$60,830	$67,320	$68,080	70
Building Equipment Contractors	238200	$72,170	$103,770	$113,980	$96,200	190
Printing and Related Support Activities	323100	$63,890	$83,780	$100,720	$84,840	100
Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only)	3250A1	$79,380	$98,480	$135,960	$103,530	90
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing	325400	$82,840	$105,010	$122,050	$107,340	420
Plastics Product Manufacturing	326100	$67,670	$103,870	$110,450	$91,130	60
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only)	3320A1	$82,040	$105,820	$131,580	$106,310	180
Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only)	3330A1	$88,440	$114,530	$135,590	$115,130	440
Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing	333300	$74,210	$105,660	$129,910	$102,030	210
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing	334100	$109,390	$136,530	$166,820	$139,780	1500
Communications Equipment Manufacturing	334200	$95,480	$124,690	$137,680	$116,900	940
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing	334300	$86,020	$104,320	$134,540	$112,280	210
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	334400	$118,250	$157,980	$175,650	$151,910	2410
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	334500	$94,980	$122,610	$137,550	$119,220	2880
Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media	334600	$86,060	$171,410	$200,080	$149,390	Not published by BLS
Electrical Equipment Manufacturing	335300	$90,670	$98,180	$122,130	$104,240	80
Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing	335900	$67,640	$97,190	$135,400	$101,470	150
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing	336100	$105,910	$160,680	$167,370	$140,790	340
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing	336300	$90,190	$113,540	$139,590	$115,830	160
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	336400	$105,020	$135,150	$173,690	$145,300	4060
Ship and Boat Building	336600	$82,420	$104,940	$132,820	$109,840	70
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing	339100	$103,230	$128,650	$137,180	$125,700	860
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing	339900	$65,930	$81,300	$102,240	$84,860	400
Automobile Dealers	441100	$72,070	$133,850	$158,760	$124,650	60
Automotive Parts, Accessories, and Tire Retailers	441300	$43,960	$49,360	$65,330	$63,460	60
Furniture and Home Furnishings Retailers	449100	$62,680	$97,030	$118,020	$94,760	40
Electronics and Appliance Retailers	449200	$104,350	$104,360	$137,830	$117,780	Not published by BLS
Health and Personal Care Retailers	456100	$75,400	$105,610	$135,080	$106,350	110
Other Miscellaneous Retailers	459900	$86,260	$121,550	$140,610	$110,860	120
Scheduled Air Transportation	481100	$134,160	$144,010	$170,040	$149,030	40
Nonscheduled Air Transportation	481200	$71,410	$71,820	$79,800	$77,110	Not published by BLS
Rail Transportation	482100	$91,500	$117,360	$166,930	$123,400	50
Support Activities for Air Transportation	488100	$79,430	$108,690	$130,320	$111,140	50
Freight Transportation Arrangement	488500	$83,850	$105,810	$127,490	$106,540	210
Couriers and Express Delivery Services	492100	$90,820	$114,130	$134,630	$116,020	60
Warehousing and Storage	493100	$77,490	$97,190	$124,300	$98,170	250
Motion Picture and Video Industries	512100	$61,970	$76,630	$133,680	$98,620	360
Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers	513100	$97,220	$126,470	$140,560	$122,450	940
Software Publishers	513200	$74,120	$101,070	$135,360	$109,480	16710
Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations	516100	$93,240	$113,420	$128,220	$112,740	40
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers	516200	$101,030	$130,900	$163,160	$130,280	1640
Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services	518200	$81,640	$104,220	$133,900	$113,940	7950
Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services	519200	Not published by BLS	Not published by BLS	Not published by BLS	Not published by BLS	1470
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	521100	$108,360	$127,760	$159,160	$135,460	370
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)	5220A1	$83,430	$105,140	$130,820	$110,310	7250
Nondepository Credit Intermediation	522200	$85,970	$118,360	$134,740	$117,200	1580
Insurance Carriers	524100	$79,850	$101,530	$123,780	$100,950	7110
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities	524200	$79,920	$100,200	$125,480	$100,710	2780
Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds	525100	$70,080	$86,170	$99,310	$92,010	50
Other Investment Pools and Funds	525900	$58,200	$61,860	$74,130	$77,760	Not published by BLS
Legal Services	541100	$62,620	$80,880	$109,470	$93,560	170
Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services	541200	$75,610	$97,490	$129,600	$103,790	2280
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	541300	$83,870	$110,420	$139,200	$118,610	4410
Specialized Design Services	541400	$94,820	$110,640	$137,390	$111,570	40
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	541500	$75,830	$99,960	$128,850	$105,650	57200
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	541600	$77,390	$103,440	$127,670	$104,590	6630
Scientific Research and Development Services	541700	$102,070	$129,800	$160,310	$130,470	4970
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services	541800	$85,920	$102,010	$142,600	$113,600	500
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	541900	$91,190	$111,100	$117,160	$106,750	2170
Management of Companies and Enterprises	551100	$95,480	$107,990	$134,560	$121,240	10290
Office Administrative Services	561100	$82,290	$106,030	$129,660	$107,440	880
Facilities Support Services	561200	$83,540	$95,330	$95,380	$90,450	Not published by BLS
Employment Services	561300	$72,570	$102,200	$129,710	$105,280	8050
Business Support Services	561400	$58,600	$89,180	$120,720	$90,380	750
Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services	561500	$108,580	$128,920	$145,690	$131,600	700
Investigation and Security Services	561600	$54,210	$96,340	$122,840	$89,110	210
Other Support Services	561900	$54,960	$61,340	$109,560	$80,450	Not published by BLS
Waste Treatment and Disposal	562200	$97,470	$97,470	$126,620	$111,890	40
Remediation and Other Waste Management Services	562900	$119,760	$139,710	$139,710	$132,910	Not published by BLS
Offices of Physicians	621100	$84,960	$106,040	$128,880	$108,890	130
Offices of Other Health Practitioners	621300	$59,370	$108,630	$156,040	$109,140	100
Outpatient Care Centers	621400	$62,660	$86,880	$122,400	$91,810	230
Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories	621500	$83,530	$96,740	$122,970	$104,220	510
Home Health Care Services	621600	$71,370	$98,390	$120,810	$94,880	70
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services	621900	$93,990	$111,470	$150,180	$118,040	200
Individual and Family Services	624100	$61,090	$86,270	$99,990	$84,100	80

What should you check outside the wage figure?

For this technology hire, compare the cash work covered by the occupation before judging an offer. Keep discretionary bonuses separate. BLS does not list equity or RSUs in its wage definition. We do not assign stock awards a cash value or add them to these wages.

Remote pay bands are an employer decision. These figures have no remote-work or cost-of-living adjustment. The published metro and state rows describe the BLS area, not a remote candidate's personal pay expectations.

Compare all published metro medians for this occupation · Read the mapping and data method

These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.

What do these figures mean for Junior QA Engineer in United States?

Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Junior QA Engineer in United States. The Junior QA Engineer comparison uses a $104,300 median for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253) in United States. That $104,300 point divides the published distribution for Junior QA Engineer in United States; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $104,300 for Junior QA Engineer in United States, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.

For Junior QA Engineer in United States, the published middle band runs from $80,310 at P25 to $133,180 at P75. The middle-band width in this Junior QA Engineer in United States comparison is $52,870. The $80,310 and $133,180 markers for Junior QA Engineer in United States describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this United States band for Junior QA Engineer requires checking the responsibilities first.

The lower published marker for Junior QA Engineer in United States is $61,440 at P10, and the upper marker is $167,010 at P90. Those Junior QA Engineer in United States values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $167,010 marker for Junior QA Engineer in United States says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Junior QA Engineer in United States cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.

The national $104,300 median for Junior QA Engineer in United States combines workers in the BLS occupation across reported locations. A remote Junior QA Engineer opening still needs a stated work-location policy; this Junior QA Engineer in United States national cell does not supply a remote-pay formula. A Junior QA Engineer in United States title may cover a narrower set of duties than Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253). For Junior QA Engineer in United States, keep that scope difference visible when comparing a candidate's cash-pay expectations with the $104,300 national marker.

For Junior QA Engineer in United States, two configured target markets with published medians are Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL, at $100,050; Tampa-St. For Junior QA Engineer in United States, petersburg-Clearwater, FL, at $98,870. These Junior QA Engineer in United States comparisons use the same SOC 15-1253 as the national table. The target-market selection for Junior QA Engineer in United States is not a ranking of the nearest metros or the highest pay. Read each Junior QA Engineer in United States market's full row before comparing it with the $104,300 national median.

A comparable May 2024 median is not available for this Junior QA Engineer in United States selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $104,300 May 2025 median for Junior QA Engineer in United States stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Junior QA Engineer in United States cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the United States area and SOC 15-1253 labels attached when sharing this Junior QA Engineer in United States result.

The published mean for Junior QA Engineer in United States is $111,490, alongside the $104,300 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Junior QA Engineer in United States is $7,190. The mean and median for Junior QA Engineer in United States summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Junior QA Engineer in United States summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.

A complete Junior QA Engineer in United States offer needs terms the Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $104,300 Junior QA Engineer in United States comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Junior QA Engineer in United States; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Junior QA Engineer in United States, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $104,300 as the complete package.

The BLS employment estimate attached to Junior QA Engineer in United States is 186,740 for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253). That Junior QA Engineer in United States estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the United States estimate for Junior QA Engineer are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Junior QA Engineer in United States employment row to understand the occupation's reported presence, while keeping the search for an individual hire separate.

Which national industries report pay for Junior QA Engineer in United States?

The table below gives released national industry medians for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253), selected for this Junior QA Engineer in United States discussion. These Junior QA Engineer industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for United States.

National industry rows for Junior QA Engineer in United States, BLS May 2025
BLS industry	NAICS	Published median	Employment
Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists	621340	$157,040	40
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	521000	$127,760	370
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank	521100	$127,760	370
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities	523000	$125,110	3,060
Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals	622300	$118,660	30
Nondepository Credit Intermediation	522200	$118,360	1,580

Questions about Junior QA Engineer in United States

Which occupation prices Junior QA Engineer in United States?

The Junior QA Engineer in United States figures use Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, SOC 15-1253. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Junior QA Engineer opening in United States.

Does the Junior QA Engineer in United States band price seniority?

The $80,310 to $133,180 band describes the published occupation distribution for Junior QA Engineer in United States. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Junior QA Engineer in United States.

Can I treat the May 2025 Junior QA Engineer in United States median as a complete offer?

The $104,300 wage cell for Junior QA Engineer in United States starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Junior QA Engineer in United States need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.

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