Some links on this page may be affiliate links. They never change a rating. Details
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook lists a median annual wage of $104,300 for software quality assurance analysts and testers in May 2025. The page was last modified on 27 August 2026.
What the data shows
- Median annual wage, software quality assurance analysts and testers: $104,300 (May 2025, BLS). The lowest 10 percent earned less than $61,440.
- Employment: about 187,600 jobs in 2025 (BLS).
- Projected growth for QA analysts and testers from 2025 to 2035: 6 percent (about 10,600 jobs) in the BLS projections table. The BLS text for the combined group of software developers, QA analysts and testers says 10 percent.
Why it matters for QA teams
This is a government survey median across all employers and levels, not an offer range. Salary sites publish different figures because they use self-reported data, so use the BLS number as a baseline, not a target.
Our interpretation: the gap between 6 percent for testers and 10 percent for the combined group suggests growth is stronger in developer roles, which is a reason to build coding and automation skills.
What we would do now
- Compare your pay with the BLS median and with job posts in your city.
- If you test manually, add automation and AI testing skills. See SDET vs QA engineer and the AI test engineer roadmap.
- Track which AI testing tools appear in job posts using best AI testing tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is $104,300 the average SDET salary?
No. It is the median for software QA analysts and testers as a group. SDET pay varies by employer and level; see our SDET salary guide.
Why do other sites show different salaries?
They use different data, such as self-reported pay and posted ranges. BLS uses an employer survey.
Sources
QA automation engineer. Each guide says what I ran myself and what I only researched, and I update it when things change. About me
One useful email a week
New guides, tool price changes and AI testing news. No spam.
