Metro area
QA Engineer Salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
This is what we do all day: recruit technology and IT professionals.
For QA Engineer, this guide uses Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (SOC 15-1253) in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. BLS estimates the median wage for that occupation at $105,580 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $83,310 and $130,920 (BLS OEWS May 2025). BLS does not measure this exact title separately.
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 as a broader occupation. It does not separate QA Engineer, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These 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.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $1,280 above the national median of $104,300 (1.2%).
| Measure | Per year |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $67,010 |
| 25th percentile | $83,310 |
| Median | $105,580 |
| 75th percentile | $130,920 |
| 90th percentile | $152,900 |
| Mean | $109,300 |
| Measure | Per year |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $65,480 |
| 25th percentile | $83,020 |
| Median | $104,910 |
| 75th percentile | $130,290 |
| 90th percentile | $150,620 |
| Mean | $107,950 |
| 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 |
Only a cell carrying the source's # marker is displayed as "or more." The May 2025 release notes define that marker as $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour or greater. This is a lower bound for marked cells, not a universal wage ceiling. Published numeric values, including values above those amounts, are retained unchanged. Suppressed or unavailable cells are not assigned a wage.
Relative pay is the role's annual median divided by the BLS all-occupations (SOC 00-0000) annual median for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Location quotient compares this occupation's share of local jobs with its national share. It measures concentration, not pay.
What these figures leave out for technology hires
BLS OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rate, guaranteed pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses, and cost-of-living allowances. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance and employer-paid benefits.
Our interpretation, not a BLS statement: the BLS definition does not name stock or equity grants, so we treat them as outside these figures and add nothing for them. If a technology offer leans on discretionary bonus or equity, we read the published figure as describing only the cash pay inside the BLS definition.
BLS definition: Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
May 2024 and May 2025 medians
| Period | Median |
|---|---|
| May 2024 | $102,360 |
| May 2025 | $105,580 |
The median moved up $3,220 (+3.1%), from $102,360 in May 2024 to $105,580 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
More for this role and area
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 15-1253 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Released 2026-05-15. The source index links to the release workbooks; it is not a link to an individual wage row. Methodology and mapping notes.
These are published government statistical wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a separate technology-title survey. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.