Role report · Software
QA Engineer: what employers ask for
Of 650 QA Engineer job ads from 377 employers in the United States and Canada over the last 180 days, 79% ask for Testing, 55% for CI/CD, 49% for Python, 47% for Agile and 38% for Git.
From 650 QA Engineer job ads in the United States and Canada, May 6, 2026 to November 2, 2026. Updated November 2, 2026. How we count. Free to reuse with credit: CC BY 4.0
The role and its demand
- Job ads read
- 650from 377 employers
- Remote
- 18%of job ads
- Most common level
- Mid48% of job ads
- Experience asked
- 4 yearsmedian, from 468 job ads that state it
- Advertised pay
- $128,000median a year, from 356 job ads in US dollars; Canadian-dollar pay left out
- Rank by job ads
- 22ndof the 39 roles with a page
October 2026 at a glance
The latest complete month against the three before it. Only moves clear of the month-to-month noise are named, so a quiet month shows none.
Share of tech job ads
352 of the 22,810 tech job ads read in October; +0.5 points on July to September (1.0%)
Median advertised pay
From the 194 job ads published in October that state it in US dollars
Moved most
Which skills moved is in the app. Sign in
Share of October's 352 job ads, against July to September (271)
October 2026: 352 QA Engineer job ads; refreshed every month
Demand, month by month
Each month's QA Engineer job ads as a share of every tech job ad Mettlespark read that month.
Demand month by month is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Advertised pay
356 of these job ads state pay in US dollars. Job ads that pay in Canadian dollars are left out rather than converted. The middle half of their ranges' midpoints runs from $103,000 to $156,000 a year, with a median of $128,000. Its median is the 34th highest of the 39 roles with enough job ads stating pay. Advertised pay is what job ads offer, not what anyone is paid.
The range
How the stated ranges spread across pay bands, and the five figures that sum them up.
- Low end
- $70,00010th percentile of the ranges' lows
- Lower quarter
- $103,00025th percentile of midpoints
- Median
- $128,000the middle midpoint
- Upper quarter
- $156,00075th percentile of midpoints
- High end
- $233,00090th percentile of the ranges' highs
The numbers
| Pay band | Share of the ranges reaching it |
|---|---|
| $64,000 to $80,000 | 21% |
| $80,000 to $96,000 | 40% |
| $96,000 to $112,000 | 51% |
| $112,000 to $128,000 | 60% |
| $128,000 to $144,000 | 59% |
| $144,000 to $160,000 | 52% |
| $160,000 to $176,000 | 43% |
| $176,000 to $192,000 | 29% |
| $192,000 to $208,000 | 21% |
| $208,000 to $224,000 | 17% |
| $224,000 to $240,000 | 12% |
356 job ads stating pay in US dollars, May 6 to November 2, 2026
By level
Advertised pay at each level, from the job ads that state it.
Pay by level is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
By place
US metro areas, and remote job ads. Each with at least 30 job ads stating pay.
| Place | Middle half | Median |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area59 job ads | $132,000 to $205,000 | $175,000 |
| Remote50 job ads | $100,000 to $152,000 | $120,000 |
109 job ads stating pay, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Month by month
Advertised pay by the month the job ad was published.
Pay month by month is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Which skills are linked to higher advertised pay
What each of the skills QA Engineer job ads ask for most is linked to in advertised pay, from Mettlespark's weekly pay model, with how sure it is.
What each skill adds to pay is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
What it asks for
The skills employers ask for most
The share of QA Engineer job ads that name each skill, and how often a job ad that names it lists it as required rather than nice to have.
| Skill | Share of job ads | Required when named |
|---|---|---|
| Testing | 96% | |
| CI/CD | 78% | |
| Python | 79% | |
| Agile | 77% | |
| Git | 78% | |
| API Testing | 86% | |
| Java | 85% | |
| Selenium | 68% | |
| Playwright | 78% | |
| JavaScript | 76% | |
| Performance Testing | 66% | |
| Regression Testing | 95% | |
| Linux | 71% | |
| SQL | 78% | |
| REST APIs | 84% | |
| TypeScript | 86% | |
| Problem Solving | 96% | |
| AWS | 47% | |
| Docker | 41% | |
| Test Planning | 96% |
650 QA Engineer job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
What's moving
The skills taking a larger or a smaller share of QA Engineer job ads, month on month and comparing like with like.
What's moving is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Experience asked
The years asked for, in the job ads that say.
| Years | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | 117 | |
| 3 to 4 years | 153 | |
| 5 to 7 years | 150 | |
| 8 years or more | 48 |
468 job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Seniority
The level each job ad is for, read from the title and the text.
| Level | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| Mid | 312 | |
| Senior | 184 | |
| Lead | 43 | |
| Junior | 25 | |
| Manager | 23 | |
| Staff | 22 | |
| Principal | 21 |
650 QA Engineer job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Professional skills
Asked for alongside the technical ones.
- Communication56%
- Stakeholder Management43%
- Leadership27%
- Root Cause Analysis18%
- Collaboration15%
650 QA Engineer job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Who hires and where
Employers with the most job ads
The employers behind the most QA Engineer job ads lately.
The employers hiring most is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Where the job ads are
Metro areas in the United States and Canada (a job ad can name several).
| Metro area | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 84 | |
| Toronto | 36 | |
| Seattle | 22 | |
| New York | 20 | |
| Atlanta | 19 | |
| Washington DC | 18 | |
| Los Angeles | 16 | |
| Chicago | 15 |
650 QA Engineer job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Remote, hybrid or on-site
How the QA Engineer job ads say the work is done.
- Remote18%
- Hybrid23%
- On-site32%
- Not stated27%
650 QA Engineer job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Related roles
More in Software
Other roles in the same family, with their job ads in the last 180 days.
Quick answers
What skills does a QA Engineer need?
The skills named most often in QA Engineer job ads are Testing, CI/CD, Python, Agile and Git. Testing appears in 79% of them.
Are QA Engineer jobs remote?
18% of the 650 QA Engineer job ads in the last 180 days were remote.
Is demand for QA Engineer jobs growing?
In October 2026, QA Engineer job ads were 1.5% of the tech job ads Mettlespark read, up from 1.0% of July to September.
How much experience do QA Engineer jobs ask for?
Job ads that state it ask for a median of 4 years. The most common level is Mid (48% of job ads).
What do QA Engineer job ads pay?
Job ads that state pay advertise a typical $103,000 to $156,000 a year, with a median of $128,000, from 356 job ads in US dollars. Job ads that pay in Canadian dollars are left out.