Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2025
Software Quality Assurance Tester Salary in Raleigh, NC
Technology · SOC 15-1253 · COL Index 99.8
Software Quality Assurance Testers in Raleigh, NC earn a median salary of $110,800 as of 2025, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $65,970 to $170,750. The mean is $115,100 across approximately 1,760 workers. Adjusted for Raleigh, NC's cost-of-living index of 99.8, the median equates to $111,022 of purchasing power in an average-cost U.S. metro.
Software Quality Assurance Tester in Raleigh, NC pays modestly above the national median: $110,800 versus $101,943 nationally, roughly 9% above.
Cost-of-living in Raleigh, NC sits near the national baseline (index 99.8), so the unadjusted $110,800 median is reasonably comparable to wages in other near-baseline cities. Wage distribution at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles: $83,902, $110,800, $140,775, $170,750. 1,760 Software Quality Assurance Tester workers are documented in Raleigh, NC per the BLS OEWS survey. The percentile spread is the most useful framing — entry-level pay clusters near p25, mid-career near p50, senior-level near p75-p90.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Percentile | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Entry Level) | $65,970 | $66,102 |
| 25th Percentile | $83,902 | $84,070 |
| 50th Percentile (Median) | $110,800 | $111,022 |
| 75th Percentile | $140,775 | $141,057 |
| 90th Percentile (Top Earners) | $170,750 | $171,092 |
What These Numbers Tell You
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile for Software Quality Assurance Testers in Raleigh, NC is unusually wide — top earners take home roughly 2.6× what the bottom decile earns. That signals a long career ladder: substantial pay gains accrue with seniority, specialization, and movement to larger employers. Workers entering this role should expect to start near the 25th percentile and target the median by year three to five.
Raleigh, NC's cost-of-living index of 99.8 sits close to the U.S. average — $110,800 here has roughly the same purchasing power as the same salary in the typical U.S. metro. That makes this market a clean baseline for comparing offers across cities.
Raleigh, NC ranks #12 of 67 BLS-tracked metros for Software Quality Assurance Tester pay — in the top quartile nationally (top 18%). Markets in this band tend to be major regional employer hubs even when they are not the absolute highest-cost cities.
How to Use This in Negotiation
The classic negotiation move is to anchor your ask on the 75th percentile of the BLS band — $140,775 for Software Quality Assurance Testers in Raleigh, NC — when you have meaningful experience, then bring evidence (years on the job, scope of past work, relevant certifications, comparable offers) to justify why you sit at that point in the distribution. Anchoring on the median when you have 5+ years of experience leaves money on the table; anchoring on the 90th percentile ($170,750) without strong evidence undercuts credibility.
For new entrants, the 25th-to-50th percentile band ($83,902–$110,800) is the realistic target. For mid-career workers, the median-to-75th band ($110,800–$140,775) is the right anchor. Senior specialists and managers should be benchmarking against the 75th-to-90th band ($140,775–$170,750).
For specific scripts and a full negotiation framework, see the data-driven salary negotiation guide. To benchmark your current pay, the salary percentile calculator places any number into the BLS distribution for this role and metro.
How This Salary Is Calculated
Wage figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program — a federal survey of about 1.2 million U.S. establishments, published once per year by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The Raleigh, NC percentile bands above (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) and the mean are pulled directly from the BLS data file for SOC code 15-1253 in this MSA. The COL-adjusted figure rebases salary to a U.S. national average COL of 100, using a composite index derived from public housing, food, and transportation data. Read the full methodology for details.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Software Quality Assurance Tester salary in Raleigh, NC?
Software Quality Assurance Testers in Raleigh, NC earn a median salary of $110,800 as of 2025, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data. The mean (employment-weighted average) is $115,100 across roughly 1,760 workers in this metro.
What is the salary range for Software Quality Assurance Testers in Raleigh, NC?
Pay ranges from $65,970 at the 10th percentile to $170,750 at the 90th percentile — a $104,780 spread. The 25th-to-75th percentile band ($83,902 to $140,775) is the typical anchor for salary negotiation.
Is $110,800 a good Software Quality Assurance Tester salary in Raleigh, NC?
$110,800 is the BLS median — half of Software Quality Assurance Testers in Raleigh, NC earn more, half earn less. Whether it is "good" depends on your experience: new entrants typically land near the 25th percentile ($83,902), mid-career workers near the median, and senior specialists near or above the 75th percentile ($140,775). Cost-of-living-adjusted to a national average baseline, the median equates to $111,022.
How does Software Quality Assurance Tester pay in Raleigh, NC compare to other metros?
Raleigh, NC ranks #12 of 67 BLS-tracked metros for Software Quality Assurance Tester median pay. It sits in the top quartile of U.S. metros for this role.
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 — public domain federal data covering 1.2 million U.S. employers. The same data feeds the U.S. Department of Labor's prevailing wage system used for H-1B and federal contracting wage determinations.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Raleigh, NC MSA, SOC 15-1253, 2025 release. Public domain. See bls.gov/oes. Cite as: "SalaryTruth, BLS OEWS 2025."
Last refreshed 2026-05-21 · 1,760 Software Quality Assurance Testers tracked in Raleigh, NC.