SOC 15-1253 · Computer and Mathematical Occupations · May 2025

How much do Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers make in Raleigh-Cary, NC?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in Raleigh-Cary, NC is $110,800. The 10th percentile is $65,970 and the 90th percentile is $170,750. Employment is 1,760.

Median annual wage

$110,800

10th percentile
$65,970
25th percentile
$86,710
Median
$110,800
75th percentile
$135,910
90th percentile
$170,750
Mean
$115,100

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Warehouse workers driving forklifts loaded with goods
Forklift operators in a Miami warehouse, 2011. Photograph by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Percentile spread

For Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, the published 10th percentile is $65,970 and the 90th percentile is $170,750. The difference is $104,780, which is 94.6% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $86,710 to the 75th at $135,910, covers $49,200.

The mean annual wage is $115,100, which sits above the median of $110,800. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Raleigh-Cary, NC median is 6.2% higher than the national median of $104,300 for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $112,880, which is 8.2% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 10.4% higher than the North Carolina median of $100,390.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Raleigh-Cary, NC is 98.157, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $110,800 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers at $112,880 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

17 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers. Raleigh-Cary, NC ranks 3rd of 18 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is 39 miles away, with a median of $122,980 and employment of 950. That median is 11% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $126,040, against $112,880 here.
  • Fayetteville, NC is 58 miles away, with a median of $97,520 and employment of 80. That median is 12% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $106,025, against $112,880 here.
  • Greenville, NC is 62 miles away, with a median of $85,930 and employment of 40. That median is 22.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $97,204, against $112,880 here.

Employment share

Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers accounts for 0.24% of wage-and-salary employment in Raleigh-Cary, NC (1,760 of 743,120). Nationally the occupation is 0.12% of employment (186,740 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.97 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Raleigh-Cary, NC · Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers make in Raleigh-Cary, NC?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in Raleigh-Cary, NC is $110,800. The 10th percentile is $65,970 and the 90th percentile is $170,750. Employment is 1,760.

How does that compare with the national median for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers?

The local median is 6.2% higher than the national median of $104,300.

What is Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers pay in Raleigh-Cary, NC after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Raleigh-Cary, NC is 98.157, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $110,800 is $112,880. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Raleigh-Cary, NC compare with nearby metros for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers?

Durham-Chapel Hill, NC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $122,980. Raleigh-Cary, NC ranks 3rd of 18 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.