Software testing careers combine technical investigation, structured documentation, and communication with development teams. In the United States, software quality assurance analysts and testers had about 201,700 jobs in 2024, while occupation-specific projections indicate 5.7% growth from 2024 to 2034. The statistics below describe the occupation’s employment outlook, pay, industries, preparation, tasks, and capabilities.
Contents
- Employment size and projected demand
- Pay levels
- Industries hiring software testers
- Education and entry pathways
- Core testing tasks
- Work activities and career capabilities
Employment size and projected demand
The U.S. employment picture depends on which statistical definition is used. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook reports about 201,700 U.S. jobs for software quality assurance analysts and testers in 2024. The BLS occupation-specific projection table instead lists 187,600 jobs in 2024 and projects 198,200 in 2034. That table therefore projects 10,600 additional jobs during the decade and 5.7% growth.
These figures should be read as estimates from different BLS products, not combined into one total. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook page uses a broader group that includes software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers when it reports the group’s 15% projected growth from 2024 to 2034. That broader group is projected to have about 129,200 openings per year on average from 2024 through 2034.
For the occupation-specific view, ONET reports about 14,000 projected job openings for software quality assurance analysts and testers over 2024–2034. ONET also classifies the occupation as a Bright Outlook occupation, with projected growth of 7% or higher. The O*NET and occupation-specific BLS figures isolate software quality assurance analysts and testers, while the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook group also includes software developers.
| Measure | Figure | Scope or period |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs reported by BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook | About 201,700 | U.S., 2024 |
| Jobs in BLS occupation-specific projection table | 187,600 | U.S., 2024 |
| Projected jobs in BLS occupation-specific table | 198,200 | U.S., 2034 projection |
| Projected change | 10,600 jobs | U.S., 2024–2034 projection |
| Projected occupation-specific growth | 5.7% | U.S., 2024–2034 projection |
| O*NET projected openings | About 14,000 | U.S., 2024–2034 projection |
Sources: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook); Occupational projections and worker characteristics (BLS); 15-1253.00 - Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (O*NET).
Pay levels
Software testing pay figures vary by publication and measurement date. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook reports a median annual wage of $102,610 for U.S. software quality assurance analysts and testers in May 2024. O*NET lists a $104,300 median annual wage using BLS 2025 wage data.
The BLS May 2025 wage table reports a $50.14 median hourly wage and a $111,490 mean annual wage. Its mean hourly wage is $53.60. That table counted 186,740 software quality assurance analysts and testers for its national wage estimate.
| Wage measure | Amount | Measurement |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $102,610 | BLS, May 2024 |
| Median annual wage | $104,300 | O*NET using BLS 2025 wage data |
| Median hourly wage | $50.14 | BLS, May 2025 |
| Mean annual wage | $111,490 | BLS, May 2025 |
| Mean hourly wage | $53.60 | BLS, May 2025 |
The May 2025 wage figures are national estimates, and the median and mean answer different questions: the median identifies the middle of the wage distribution, while the mean is the average. They should not be treated as guarantees for a particular tester, employer, location, specialty, or level of experience.
Source: Occupational Employment and Wages - May 2025 (BLS). The May 2024 median is from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, and the O*NET median is from Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers.
Industries hiring software testers
Software testing careers are distributed across several U.S. industries rather than concentrated in software publishers alone. In 2024, computer systems design and related services employed 30% of U.S. software quality assurance analysts and testers. Finance and insurance employed 12%, while software publishers employed 10%.
Manufacturing employed 9% of the occupation, and administrative and support services employed 5%. These shares describe the industries employing the occupation in 2024; they are not shares of all jobs in each industry and do not represent projected hiring rates.
The industry pattern reflects the broad use of software quality work. A tester may therefore find relevant roles in organizations that design technology products, publish software, operate financial services, build manufactured products, or provide administrative and support services. The available figures identify where workers were employed, but they do not provide a ranking of individual employers or a comparison of industry-specific wages.
Source: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024 employment distribution).
Education and entry pathways
The BLS says software quality assurance analysts and testers typically need a four-year bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology or a related field. O*NET places the occupation in Job Zone 4, labeled “considerable preparation needed,” and gives it a Specific Vocational Preparation range of 7.0 to less than 8.0.
O*NET response shares show that reported new-hire education requirements are not uniform. Fifty percent of respondents said a bachelor’s degree is required, 26% said an associate’s degree or other two-year degree is required, and 9% said a post-secondary certificate is required. These are respondents’ reported education requirements for a new hire, not a universal legal requirement or a guarantee that every employer uses the same screening standard.
O*NET lists one example registered-apprenticeship title for the occupation: Software Quality Assurance Tester. Taken together, the figures describe a field where a bachelor’s degree is the most frequently reported requirement in the available responses, while associate-level, certificate, and apprenticeship pathways are also represented.
The current ONET profile does not expose a single survey year on its page. Accordingly, these ONET education, preparation, task, and capability figures are identified as coming from the current profile rather than being relabeled as 2026 data.
Sources: Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers (BLS); 15-1253.00 - Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (O*NET).
Core testing tasks
O*NET’s importance ratings use a 0–100 occupational scale. They are not percentages of workers. The highest-rated testing tasks in the current profile are identifying, analyzing, and documenting software-function, output, screen, or content problems, with an importance score of 93. Documenting software defects with a bug-tracking system and reporting them to developers scores 92.
Developing testing programs for database impacts, regression, negative tests, retests, and usability scores 88. Designing test plans, scenarios, scripts, or procedures scores 84, while documenting test procedures for replicability and standards compliance scores 83.
Providing developers with usability and functionality feedback and recommendations scores 82. Installing, maintaining, or using software testing programs also scores 82. Testing system modifications before implementation scores 80. Creating or maintaining databases of known test defects scores 79, and developing standards, methods, or procedures for product quality or release readiness scores 78.
The pattern emphasizes more than finding failures. The rated work includes reproducing and recording defects, planning coverage, checking changes, maintaining testing tools and defect knowledge, and translating observations into feedback that supports product quality and release decisions.
Source: 15-1253.00 - Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (O*NET, current occupational profile).
Work activities and career capabilities
Working with computers has an O*NET importance score of 99 for software quality assurance analysts and testers. Getting information from relevant sources scores 91. Communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates scores 86, while processing information such as compiling, auditing, or verifying data scores 85.
Updating and using relevant technical knowledge scores 84, and analyzing data or information scores 82. Evaluating information for compliance with standards scores 81. These ratings connect testing work with investigation, verification, communication, and continuing technical learning.
ONET rates reading comprehension at 75, active listening at 72, critical thinking at 72, and speaking at 72. Writing scores 69, monitoring scores 66, and quality-control analysis scores 60 as a transferable skill. These are occupational ratings on ONET’s 0–100 scale, not percentages showing how many workers possess each skill.
For someone considering software testing careers, the figures point to a capability profile that combines computer-based execution with careful interpretation. Reading requirements, listening to reports, asking for relevant information, analyzing evidence, documenting defects, and explaining recommendations all appear alongside the technical testing tasks. The statistics do not establish which skill is sufficient for hiring, but they show the kinds of activities and capabilities associated with the occupation in the current O*NET profile.
Source: 15-1253.00 - Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers (O*NET, current occupational profile).