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Create CVIf you're researching the test engineer salary in the US, you're likely trying to understand not just the average pay, but what you can realistically earn depending on your experience, specialization, and company type.
The short answer: test engineers in the United States earn between $70,000 and $165,000+, with top performers and automation-focused engineers exceeding $190,000 total compensation.
However, compensation varies widely depending on:
Manual testing vs automation expertise
Industry (tech vs manufacturing vs defense)
Coding ability and tools (Selenium, Cypress, Python, Java)
Company maturity and product complexity
This guide breaks down real-world salary benchmarks, compensation structures, and recruiter-level insights so you understand how salaries are actually determined—and how to maximize yours.
Entry-Level Test Engineer: $70,000 – $90,000
Mid-Level Test Engineer: $90,000 – $115,000
Senior Test Engineer: $110,000 – $140,000
Staff / Lead Test Engineer: $135,000 – $165,000+
Average Base Salary: $100,000 – $115,000
Average Total Compensation: $110,000 – $130,000
Salary: $70,000 – $90,000
Bonus: Minimal or none
Equity: Rare outside tech startups
At this level, you're typically responsible for:
Manual testing and QA processes
Writing test cases and executing test plans
Basic scripting
Recruiter Insight:
Candidates with even basic automation skills (Python, Selenium) can command $5K–$15K more than purely manual testers.
Salary: $70,000 – $105,000
Limited long-term growth
Salary: $100,000 – $150,000
Highest demand and strongest growth
Salary: $110,000 – $155,000
Specialized skillset with strong demand
Base Salary: $140,000 – $165,000
Bonus + Equity: $20,000 – $60,000+
Total Compensation: $160,000 – $200,000+
Key Insight:
Test engineers who specialize in automation and software development in test (SDET) significantly out-earn manual testers.
Salary: $90,000 – $115,000
Bonus: 5% – 10%
Equity: $5K – $25K annually (in tech companies)
Expected responsibilities:
Automation test development
CI/CD pipeline integration
Collaboration with developers
Hiring Reality:
This is where the market splits sharply:
Manual testers plateau
Automation engineers accelerate in pay
Salary: $110,000 – $140,000
Bonus: 10% – 15%
Equity: $20K – $60K+
Senior engineers are expected to:
Design testing frameworks
Lead QA strategy
Mentor junior engineers
Compensation Insight:
Senior SDETs with strong coding ability can be paid similarly to backend engineers in some companies.
Salary: $135,000 – $165,000+
Bonus: 15% – 20%
Equity: $40K – $100K+
At this level:
You influence system reliability at scale
Own quality strategy across teams
Drive automation architecture
Top performers often transition into engineering leadership or platform engineering roles for higher pay ceilings.
Salary: $90,000 – $140,000
Common in automotive, IoT, and defense
Salary: $120,000 – $170,000+
Premium due to risk and expertise
Key Insight:
The closer your role is to software engineering and system design, the higher your earning potential.
Base Salary: $70K – $110K
Bonus: Small or none
Equity: Rare
Base Salary: $100K – $140K
Bonus: 5% – 15%
Equity: $10K – $60K
Base Salary: $130K – $165K
Bonus: 10% – 20%
Equity: $50K – $120K+
Total Compensation: $160K – $220K+
Recruiter Insight:
Test engineers in Big Tech are often re-leveled as SDETs, which significantly boosts compensation.
San Francisco Bay Area: $120K – $165K+
New York City: $115K – $155K
Seattle: $115K – $160K
Austin: $100K – $135K
Denver: $95K – $130K
Chicago: $95K – $125K
Important Trend:
Automation-focused roles are less impacted by geography due to remote demand.
This is the single biggest salary driver.
Manual testers: Lower ceiling
Automation engineers: Higher pay and demand
High-paying candidates:
Write production-level code
Build frameworks
Integrate testing into CI/CD
Top-paying industries:
SaaS / Tech
Fintech
Cybersecurity
Lower-paying:
Government
Traditional manufacturing
More complex systems = higher pay:
Distributed systems
High-scale applications
Security-sensitive platforms
QA vs SDET vs Software Engineer in Test
Determines salary band immediately
Example:
QA role: $85K – $105K
SDET role: $110K – $145K
Coding ability
Automation experience
System thinking
Strong candidates: top of band
Average: middle
Limited skills: bottom
Manual QA is declining in value.
Focus on:
Selenium / Cypress
API testing
CI/CD pipelines
Key languages:
Python
Java
JavaScript
High earners:
Build frameworks
Design testing systems
Work alongside developers
Best-paying environments:
SaaS startups
Fintech
Big Tech
Weak Example:
“I’d like a bit more salary.”
Good Example:
“I’m currently evaluating another offer at $120K base with bonus. Is there flexibility to match or improve on that?”
This caps salary early.
Titles matter:
QA Engineer → lower pay
SDET → higher pay
Missing out on:
Equity
Bonuses
Career trajectory
Senior SDET: $150K – $200K
Staff SDET: $180K – $250K+
Engineering Leadership: $200K – $350K+
Trend:
Test engineering is evolving into software engineering specialization, increasing long-term earning potential.
The test engineer salary in the US depends heavily on one factor: how close you are to software engineering.
The highest-paid test engineers:
Build automation systems
Write production-level code
Influence system quality at scale
If you evolve from manual QA into an automation-focused SDET, breaking into $150K–$200K+ total compensation becomes highly achievable.
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