Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

15-1253 Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Occupational Description:
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.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	2,630	231	$51.75/hr	$32.66/hr	$39.83/hr	$50.26/hr	$63.49/hr	$67.87/hr

Leading Industries for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	320	$63.82/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	130	$52.01/hr
Information	330	$42.44/hr
Financial Activities	350	$55.89/hr
Professional and Business Services	1,350	$49.26/hr
Education and Health Services	160	$50.26/hr
Other Services	N/A	N/A
Public Administration	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Southwest Minnesota	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	20	$42.07/hr	N/A
Southeast Balance of State	20	$48.56/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	20	$38.81/hr	N/A
Duluth MN-WI MSA	30	$43.65/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	30	$40.90/hr	21.2%
Central Minnesota	50	$40.44/hr	24.6%
Northwest Minnesota	60	$39.68/hr	21.1%
Northwest Balance of State	60	$39.68/hr	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	70	$39.45/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	120	$42.34/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	140	$59.61/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	150	$53.04/hr	18.1%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	2,150	$50.53/hr	18.2%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	2,190	$50.47/hr	N/A
Minnesota	2,630	$50.26/hr	3.0%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2024-2034
Computer Systems Analysts	11,330	$52.56/hr	4.4%
Web Developers	1,200	$49.93/hr	0.9%
Database Architects	1,240	$65.75/hr	3.3%
Computer Programmers	2,070	$53.00/hr	-8.7%
Information Security Analysts	2,680	$64.60/hr	22.3%
Database Administrators	1,020	$49.78/hr	-3.1%

Task for Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers

Provide feedback and recommendations to developers on software usability and functionality.
Review software documentation to ensure technical accuracy, compliance, or completeness, or to mitigate risks.
Develop testing programs that address areas such as database impacts, software scenarios, regression testing, negative testing, error or bug retests, or usability.
Monitor bug resolution efforts and track successes.
Create or maintain databases of known test defects.
Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
Monitor program performance to ensure efficient and problem-free operations.
Identify, analyze, and document problems with program function, output, online screen, or content.
Document software defects, using a bug tracking system, and report defects to software developers.
Plan test schedules or strategies in accordance with project scope or delivery dates.