Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of software quality assurance analysts and testers to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035 (about 10,600 more jobs), with about 10,700 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $104,300 a year ranks 115th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +5.7%
- Openings a year
- 10,700
- Median pay
- $104,300
- Pay rank
- 115th of 825
Is employment of software quality assurance analysts and testers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of software quality assurance analysts and testers to rise 5.7% (about 10,600 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is slower than the +7.3% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 21 computer and mathematical occupations with a projection. That change ranks 188th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 187,600 |
| Employment, 2035 | 198,200 |
| Projected change | +5.7% |
| Openings a year | 10,700 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 187,600 jobs here differ from the 186,740 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 10,700 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 265th most of 830 occupations. About 90% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 1,060 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for software quality assurance analysts and testers rank?
The median of $104,300 a year ranks 115th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | +10.2% | 95,300 | $135,980 |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | +5.1% | 27,000 | $116,580 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | +7.9% | 32,900 | $105,850 |
| Database Architects | +9.4% | 3,900 | $139,500 |
| Computer Programmers | -7.3% | 4,400 | $100,390 |
| Database Administrators | -0.1% | 3,300 | $104,620 |
| Web and Digital Interface Designers | +6.0% | 8,300 | $104,000 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | -4.1% | 13,400 | $99,130 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.