# Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

SOC 15-1253. Page: https://educationguide.com/careers/software-quality-assurance-analysts-and-testers

Develop and execute software tests to identify software problems and their causes. Test system modifications to prepare for implementation. Document software and application defects using a bug tracking system and report defects to software or web developers. Create and maintain databases of known defects. May participate in software design reviews to provide input on functional requirements, operational characteristics, product designs, and schedules.

## Pay and outlook
- U.S. median wage $104,300 (middle half $80,310–$133,180; BLS May 2025)
- Ages 25-34: median $73,463; 75% hold a bachelor's or higher (Census ACS 2020-2024)
- Jobs 2025-35: 5.7%; ~10.7k openings a year; typical entry: Bachelor's degree

## Fields of degree of young workers (ages 25-34, bachelor's+)
- Computer Science: 16% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/computer-science)
- Computer Engineering: 6% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/computer-engineering)
- Electrical Engineering: 6% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/electrical-engineering)
- Computer And Information Systems: 5% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/computer-and-information-sciences)
- Business Management And Administration: 4% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/business-administration)
- Management Information Systems And Statistics: 3% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/management-information-systems, https://educationguide.com/degrees/management-science-analytics)
- Biology: 3% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/biology)
- Psychology: 3% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/psychology)
- Physical Fitness Parks Recreation And Leisure: 2% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/kinesiology-exercise-science, https://educationguide.com/degrees/parks-recreation-and-leisure-studies)
- Marketing And Marketing Research: 2% (https://educationguide.com/degrees/marketing, https://educationguide.com/degrees/specialized-sales-merchandising-and-marketing-operations)

## Median wage by state
- AL: $101,500
- AZ: $100,650
- CA: $128,740
- CO: $123,690
- CT: $97,740
- DC: $103,340
- DE: $106,060
- FL: $100,210
- GA: $103,040
- HI: $102,930
- IA: $88,590
- IL: $104,910
- IN: $87,020
- KS: $94,490
- KY: $79,100
- LA: $66,810
- MA: $122,210
- MD: $111,100
- ME: $86,050
- MI: $98,720
- MN: $101,700
- MO: $85,530
- MS: $79,890
- MT: $103,930
- NC: $100,390
- ND: $83,920
- NE: $98,010
- NH: $107,100
- NJ: $119,470
- NM: $116,580
- NY: $121,240
- OH: $98,000
- OK: $77,700
- OR: $108,440
- PA: $93,030
- PR: $61,690
- RI: $101,790
- SC: $97,500
- SD: $68,120
- TN: $91,040
- TX: $101,850
- UT: $82,100
- VA: $121,590
- VT: $76,580
- WA: $128,480
- WI: $89,400
- WV: $62,300

Method: https://educationguide.com/how-we-score#careers

Free to reuse with attribution: cite "EducationGuide.com" with a link to the page URL. Most figures are U.S. government data (public domain); loan default rates and athletics come from the Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By 1.0, attribution required) and founding years from Wikidata (CC0). O*NET data: CC BY 4.0, O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA).