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Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers: apprenticeship hours and pay
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Approved apprenticeship titles
One apprenticeship title on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 4,000 hours, for Software Quality Assurance Tester (NOF) (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Software Quality Assurance Tester (NOF) | 3070 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 6,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What software quality assurance analysts and testers earn, by state
California has the highest state median for software quality assurance analysts and testers ($128,740) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($61,690), across the 47 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $128,740 | $61.89 | 27,710 |
| Washington | $128,480 | $61.77 | 7,970 |
| Colorado | $123,690 | $59.47 | 5,110 |
| Massachusetts | $122,210 | $58.76 | 6,640 |
| Virginia | $121,590 | $58.46 | 10,160 |
| New York | $121,240 | $58.29 | 10,460 |
| New Jersey | $119,470 | $57.44 | 6,550 |
| New Mexico | $116,580 | $56.05 | 450 |
| Maryland | $111,100 | $53.41 | 5,880 |
| Oregon | $108,440 | $52.13 | 1,840 |
| New Hampshire | $107,100 | $51.49 | 770 |
| Delaware | $106,060 | $50.99 | 520 |
| Illinois | $104,910 | $50.44 | 6,530 |
| Montana | $103,930 | $49.97 | 150 |
| District of Columbia | $103,340 | $49.68 | 760 |
| Georgia | $103,040 | $49.54 | 7,110 |
| Hawaii | $102,930 | $49.49 | Not published |
| Texas | $101,850 | $48.97 | 19,590 |
| Rhode Island | $101,790 | $48.94 | 400 |
| Minnesota | $101,700 | $48.89 | 2,630 |
| Alabama | $101,500 | $48.80 | 1,760 |
| Arizona | $100,650 | $48.39 | 3,890 |
| North Carolina | $100,390 | $48.27 | 8,890 |
| Florida | $100,210 | $48.18 | 10,320 |
| Michigan | $98,720 | $47.46 | 3,480 |
| Nebraska | $98,010 | $47.12 | 1,240 |
| Ohio | $98,000 | $47.12 | 4,400 |
| Connecticut | $97,740 | $46.99 | 1,160 |
| South Carolina | $97,500 | $46.88 | 1,740 |
| Kansas | $94,490 | $45.43 | 1,140 |
| Pennsylvania | $93,030 | $44.73 | 4,530 |
| Tennessee | $91,040 | $43.77 | 1,530 |
| Wisconsin | $89,400 | $42.98 | 3,800 |
| Iowa | $88,590 | $42.59 | 1,000 |
| Indiana | $87,020 | $41.84 | 1,610 |
| Maine | $86,050 | $41.37 | 390 |
| Missouri | $85,530 | $41.12 | 2,930 |
| North Dakota | $83,920 | $40.35 | 200 |
| Utah | $82,100 | $39.47 | 2,600 |
| Mississippi | $79,890 | $38.41 | 350 |
| Kentucky | $79,100 | $38.03 | 890 |
| Oklahoma | $77,700 | $37.36 | 1,620 |
| Vermont | $76,580 | $36.82 | 170 |
| South Dakota | $68,120 | $32.75 | 220 |
| Louisiana | $66,810 | $32.12 | 450 |
| West Virginia | $62,300 | $29.95 | 390 |
| Puerto Rico | $61,690 | $29.66 | 270 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).