Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025 reference period
Entry-Level Software Quality Assurance Tester Salary (2026)
Entry-level software quality assurance testers earn approximately $67,591 per year as of 2026, based on the 10th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — a standard proxy for first-year pay before significant experience or specialization. Across U.S. metros, entry-level pay ranges from $45,910 (lowest) to $84,240 (highest), depending on local labor market and cost of living.
This page answers a common U.S. wage question: Entry-Level Software Quality Assurance Tester Salary (2026). The answer draws on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — the federal survey that captures wages for over 800 occupations across every U.S. metropolitan area. Why BLS OEWS data is the right anchor: alternative wage sources (Glassdoor, levels.fyi, Payscale) are self-reported and skew toward specific roles, industries, or geographies. BLS OEWS is employer-reported, mandatory for businesses above the survey threshold, and uniformly applied across occupations and metros.
The detailed answer below uses the BLS numbers, explains how to read them, and translates the statistical detail into the worker-relevant interpretation of the question.
10th percentile across U.S. metros, employment-weighted
What This Pay Level Means
The 10th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which only 10% of workers in this occupation earn — a reliable proxy for new entrants in their first one-to-two years. Workers in this band have minimal independent scope, are often still in formal training or apprenticeship, and have limited negotiation leverage. Pay grows fastest in the first three-to-five years as scope and credentials expand.
For workers with 2–5 years of experience, the right benchmark shifts to the 25th percentile (junior / early-career band). For 5+ years, the 50th percentile (median) becomes the anchor. See "How much does a junior software quality assurance tester make?" and "How much do software quality assurance testers make?" for those bands.
Top-Paying Metros at This Level
| Metro | Median Pay |
|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $84,240 |
| Washington, DC | $81,360 |
| Denver, CO | $80,590 |
| Baltimore, MD | $80,350 |
| Providence, RI | $78,870 |
What the Numbers Tell You
Geographic pay spread for Software Quality Assurance Testers is unusually wide — top metros pay roughly 2.3× what the lowest-paying metros pay, a $94,130 gap. Most of that variation tracks cost of living, regional industry concentration, and the depth of senior workers in each market.
Roughly 132,070 Software Quality Assurance Testers are employed across the metros tracked here — a sizable mid-tier occupation with reliable percentile data.
More Software Quality Assurance Tester Salary Answers
Each page answers a distinct pay question for this role — by experience band, hourly rate, and how the salary stacks up:
- Junior software quality assurance tester salary →
- How much do software quality assurance testers make →
- Senior software quality assurance tester salary →
- Top 10% software quality assurance tester salary →
- How much do software quality assurance testers make an hour →
- Is software quality assurance tester a good salary →
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wages come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — an annual survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments published by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code and Metropolitan Statistical Area. The figure on this page is employment-weighted across 67 BLS-tracked metros for SOC code 15-1253. The mapping from BLS percentiles to experience bands (entry / junior / mid / senior / top 10%) follows the convention used by the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system. See full methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions
Entry-Level Software Quality Assurance Tester Salary (2026)?
Entry-level software quality assurance testers earn approximately $67,591 per year as of 2026, based on the 10th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — a standard proxy for first-year pay before significant experience or specialization. Across U.S. metros, entry-level pay ranges from $45,910 (lowest) to $84,240 (highest), depending on local labor market and cost of living.
How does this percentile compare to the median?
Software Quality Assurance Testers have a national median (50th percentile) of $101,943. The 10th percentile shown on this page ($67,591) is 34% below the median — typical for this experience band.
Where do software quality assurance testers at this level earn the most?
San Jose, CA pays the highest at this percentile band — $84,240. Lowest-paying tracked metro: Tulsa, OK at $45,910.
What years of experience does this percentile represent?
The 10th percentile is the BLS-published wage below which only 10% of workers in this occupation earn — a reliable proxy for new entrants in their first one-to-two years. Workers in this band have minimal independent scope, are often still in formal training or apprenticeship, and have limited negotiation leverage. Pay grows fastest in the first three-to-five years as scope and credentials expand.
Where does this software quality assurance tester salary data come from?
Every wage figure comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — an annual federal survey of more than 1 million U.S. employers. The percentile figure on this page is employment-weighted across BLS-tracked metros.
Entry-level software quality assurance testers earn approximately $67,591 per year as of 2026, based on the 10th percentile of Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS wage data — a standard proxy for first-year pay before significant experience or specialization. Across U.S. metros, entry-level pay ranges from $45,910 (lowest) to $84,240 (highest), depending on local labor market and cost of living.