Salary guide, May 2025
Senior Quality Engineer pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Industrial Engineers in the United States was $102,440 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $83,600 and $129,250.
Broader occupation · SOC 17-2112 Industrial Engineers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $74,370 | $83,600 | $102,440 | $129,250 | $159,860 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35.76 | $40.19 | $49.25 | $62.14 | $76.85 |
BLS estimated 365,740 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2112 Industrial Engineers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $103,740 | $81,810 to $129,150 | 3,360 | 0.51 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $100,670 | $78,520 to $123,830 | 2,090 | 0.61 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $104,920 | $85,800 to $127,450 | 2,040 | 0.61 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $104,030 | $83,240 to $130,220 | 1,710 | 0.98 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $105,840 | $93,100 to $130,260 | 8,540 | 0.38 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $105,840 | $93,100 to $130,260 | 8,540 | 0.38 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $105,640 | $93,020 to $132,830 | 10,680 | 1.12 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $101,760 | $82,260 to $126,580 | 12,750 | 1.2 |
Rank every metro for Senior Quality Engineer
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing (NAICS 324000)$127,140
- Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS 325000)$105,450
- Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing (NAICS 312000)$105,380
- Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing (NAICS 334000)$105,370
- Food Manufacturing (NAICS 311000)$102,830
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$102,390
- Miscellaneous Manufacturing (NAICS 339000)$101,920
- Paper Manufacturing (NAICS 322000)$101,150
- Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS 333000)$99,070
- Primary Metal Manufacturing (NAICS 331000)$99,030
- Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing (NAICS 327000)$98,870
- Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing (NAICS 335000)$97,790
- Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (NAICS 326000)$96,770
- Textile Mills (NAICS 313000)$94,390
- Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (NAICS 332000)$93,170
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 248,860 | $82,290 | $101,160 | $126,660 |
| 336000 · 3-digit | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 55,900 | $85,080 | $102,390 | $127,250 |
| 334000 · 3-digit | Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 41,320 | $86,770 | $105,370 | $133,290 |
| 333000 · 3-digit | Machinery Manufacturing | 28,010 | $81,650 | $99,070 | $121,540 |
| 336400 · 4-digit | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 25,680 | $98,350 | $107,170 | $131,930 |
| 325000 · 3-digit | Chemical Manufacturing | 23,290 | $93,530 | $105,450 | $130,730 |
| 332000 · 3-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing | 22,640 | $77,900 | $93,170 | $104,250 |
| 334400 · 4-digit | Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing | 20,060 | $88,940 | $108,110 | $140,790 |
| 339000 · 3-digit | Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 18,550 | $82,840 | $101,920 | $128,760 |
| 3330A1 · 4-digit | Machinery Manufacturing (3331, 3332, 3334, and 3339 only) | 18,200 | $81,880 | $98,830 | $120,590 |
| 336300 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing | 17,250 | $79,550 | $96,890 | $106,770 |
| 334500 · 4-digit | Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing | 16,880 | $91,760 | $104,840 | $130,890 |
| 339100 · 4-digit | Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing | 15,540 | $85,110 | $102,810 | $129,190 |
| 326000 · 3-digit | Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing | 14,900 | $79,420 | $96,770 | $107,790 |
| 335000 · 3-digit | Electrical Equipment, Appliance, and Component Manufacturing | 12,400 | $78,950 | $97,790 | $110,760 |
| 326100 · 4-digit | Plastics Product Manufacturing | 11,950 | $79,330 | $96,620 | $106,940 |
| 325400 · 4-digit | Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing | 11,710 | $92,180 | $104,110 | $129,470 |
| 3320A1 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3321, 3322, 3325, 3326, and 3329 only) | 11,340 | $78,320 | $94,370 | $104,900 |
| 3250A1 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3251, 3252, 3253, and 3259 only) | 9,150 | $97,950 | $118,700 | $136,120 |
| 336100 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Manufacturing | 8,140 | $95,070 | $106,340 | $128,140 |
| 331000 · 3-digit | Primary Metal Manufacturing | 6,910 | $79,730 | $99,030 | $117,390 |
| 311000 · 3-digit | Food Manufacturing | 6,260 | $84,130 | $102,830 | $126,540 |
| 322000 · 3-digit | Paper Manufacturing | 5,560 | $85,060 | $101,150 | $129,380 |
| 335900 · 4-digit | Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing | 5,400 | $79,760 | $98,920 | $119,880 |
| 3320A2 · 4-digit | Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) | 5,360 | $76,350 | $90,070 | $104,100 |
| 332700 · 4-digit | Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 4,990 | $77,510 | $92,670 | $103,570 |
| 335300 · 4-digit | Electrical Equipment Manufacturing | 4,970 | $78,360 | $98,200 | $108,050 |
| 333600 · 4-digit | Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing | 4,570 | $95,870 | $103,340 | $128,710 |
| 337000 · 3-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing | 3,390 | $65,840 | $79,040 | $99,530 |
| 3370A1 · 4-digit | Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (3371 and 3372 only) | 3,310 | $65,800 | $78,990 | $99,530 |
| 322200 · 4-digit | Converted Paper Product Manufacturing | 3,220 | $79,890 | $97,680 | $124,910 |
| 333500 · 4-digit | Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing | 3,140 | $77,720 | $90,920 | $105,490 |
| 332710 · 5-digit | Machine Shops | 3,070 | $76,660 | $89,610 | $102,790 |
| 339900 · 4-digit | Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing | 3,010 | $77,480 | $93,810 | $106,220 |
| 326200 · 4-digit | Rubber Product Manufacturing | 2,950 | $79,660 | $98,320 | $116,500 |
| 327000 · 3-digit | Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing | 2,940 | $82,140 | $98,870 | $119,810 |
| 331500 · 4-digit | Foundries | 2,440 | $78,970 | $96,820 | $106,910 |
| 3250A2 · 4-digit | Chemical Manufacturing (3255 and 3256 only) | 2,430 | $81,020 | $98,130 | $116,950 |
| 322100 · 4-digit | Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills | 2,340 | $93,660 | $108,170 | $133,940 |
| 334100 · 4-digit | Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing | 2,170 | $64,520 | $99,540 | $137,030 |
| 333300 · 4-digit | Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing | 2,100 | $78,710 | $96,750 | $110,110 |
| 324000 · 3-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 2,020 | $106,610 | $127,140 | $152,940 |
| 324100 · 4-digit | Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing | 2,020 | $106,610 | $127,140 | $152,940 |
| 332720 · 5-digit | Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing | 1,920 | $79,080 | $95,820 | $105,900 |
| 334200 · 4-digit | Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 1,820 | $83,310 | $102,600 | $129,960 |
| 336600 · 4-digit | Ship and Boat Building | 1,550 | $80,730 | $100,410 | $131,930 |
| 311900 · 4-digit | Other Food Manufacturing | 1,540 | $85,170 | $103,250 | $125,920 |
| 335200 · 4-digit | Household Appliance Manufacturing | 1,520 | $79,310 | $95,010 | $106,660 |
| 336200 · 4-digit | Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing | 1,390 | $79,340 | $93,460 | $102,770 |
| 321000 · 3-digit | Wood Product Manufacturing | 1,320 | $74,810 | $91,780 | $108,710 |
| 331400 · 4-digit | Nonferrous Metal (except Aluminum) Production and Processing | 1,300 | $83,780 | $103,280 | $126,590 |
| 331100 · 4-digit | Iron and Steel Mills and Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 1,290 | $64,770 | $94,540 | $110,070 |
| 336900 · 4-digit | Other Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 1,170 | $79,710 | $98,790 | $105,140 |
| 313000 · 3-digit | Textile Mills | 1,070 | $78,750 | $94,390 | $108,780 |
| 312000 · 3-digit | Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing | 1,040 | $93,820 | $105,380 | $128,570 |
| 331200 · 4-digit | Steel Product Manufacturing from Purchased Steel | 990 | $81,230 | $99,970 | $117,710 |
| 332800 · 4-digit | Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities | 950 | $74,450 | $91,110 | $103,750 |
| 312100 · 4-digit | Beverage Manufacturing | 930 | $94,260 | $104,530 | $127,430 |
| 321900 · 4-digit | Other Wood Product Manufacturing | 930 | $72,470 | $89,520 | $107,990 |
| 311500 · 4-digit | Dairy Product Manufacturing | 890 | $92,480 | $105,450 | $128,810 |
| 331300 · 4-digit | Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing | 890 | $81,650 | $101,620 | $125,780 |
| 311200 · 4-digit | Grain and Oilseed Milling | 830 | $83,690 | $104,160 | $126,870 |
| 311400 · 4-digit | Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing | 740 | $83,680 | $99,410 | $123,200 |
| 311800 · 4-digit | Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing | 740 | $79,030 | $101,350 | $123,200 |
| 336500 · 4-digit | Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing | 720 | $80,490 | $91,170 | $107,250 |
| 311600 · 4-digit | Animal Slaughtering and Processing | 680 | $84,550 | $105,680 | $135,780 |
| 323000 · 3-digit | Printing and Related Support Activities | 650 | $78,270 | $93,070 | $107,250 |
| 323100 · 4-digit | Printing and Related Support Activities | 650 | $78,270 | $93,070 | $107,250 |
| 313200 · 4-digit | Fabric Mills | 590 | $79,800 | $96,140 | $112,340 |
| 314000 · 3-digit | Textile Product Mills | 530 | $74,680 | $88,730 | $108,800 |
| 311300 · 4-digit | Sugar and Confectionery Product Manufacturing | 520 | $84,270 | $100,470 | $126,400 |
| 335100 · 4-digit | Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing | 510 | $78,590 | $95,100 | $104,450 |
| 311100 · 4-digit | Animal Food Manufacturing | 300 | $85,210 | $101,610 | $130,660 |
| 313300 · 4-digit | Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills | 280 | $78,190 | $93,450 | $108,520 |
| 314900 · 4-digit | Other Textile Product Mills | 280 | $72,910 | $85,020 | $107,200 |
| 321200 · 4-digit | Veneer, Plywood, and Engineered Wood Product Manufacturing | 280 | $75,610 | $87,540 | $107,040 |
| 314100 · 4-digit | Textile Furnishings Mills | 260 | $75,760 | $99,140 | $117,580 |
| 334300 · 4-digit | Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing | 250 | $86,000 | $104,380 | $131,170 |
| 313100 · 4-digit | Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills | 200 | $75,250 | $88,600 | $106,660 |
| 312200 · 4-digit | Tobacco Manufacturing | 120 | $93,080 | $108,090 | $134,500 |
| 321100 · 4-digit | Sawmills and Wood Preservation | 110 | $88,030 | $108,250 | $131,680 |
| 339910 · 5-digit | Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing | 100 | $94,450 | $97,130 | $132,360 |
| 337900 · 4-digit | Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing | 90 | $81,270 | $96,700 | $108,730 |
| 316000 · 3-digit | Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | 80 | $75,850 | $91,930 | $115,090 |
| 316900 · 4-digit | Other Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing | 60 | $75,700 | $106,170 | $123,850 |
| 315200 · 4-digit | Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing | 50 | $66,520 | $88,620 | $127,880 |
| 311700 · 4-digit | Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging | 40 | $82,470 | $101,090 | $110,440 |
| 334600 · 4-digit | Manufacturing and Reproducing Magnetic and Optical Media | Not published by BLS | $48,570 | $59,630 | $84,280 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Senior Quality Engineer, clarify the base pay before discussing call-outs, travel or extra shifts. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $81,910 | $101,140 | $127,480 |
| May 2025 | $83,600 | $102,440 | $129,250 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about a move that can hold up?
Someone working in experienced quality engineers handling recurring process and customer failures needs a clear reason to leave. Explain how your opening changes their responsibility for difficult failure investigations and quality engineering decisions. If the answer depends on authority over difficult failure investigations and quality engineering decisions that you cannot offer, that mismatch belongs in the conversation before an offer.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Senior Quality Engineer?
The median annual wage for Industrial Engineers in the United States was $102,440 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $83,600 and $129,250. This is the broader occupation BLS publishes, not a figure for this exact title.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $74,370. 90% earned less than $159,860.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Senior Quality Engineer at a plant?
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 365,740 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
VP of Quality / Chief Quality Officer pay Director of Quality pay Quality Manager pay QC Manager pay Quality Engineer pay Senior Quality Engineer pay ranked across all metros Open jobs Senior Quality Engineer recruiting Check an offer for this role
What does this data mean for your opening?
The Senior Quality Engineer role is defined by the ability to execute containment decisions backed by objective measurement and defensible root cause analysis. Unlike Quality Managers, this position focuses on technical depth and problem-solving rather than administrative oversight of an entire quality department.
Manufacturing Headhunters monitors this title within the Industrial Engineers occupation, which is the classification used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for this level of engineering work. Always cross-reference the SOC definition with your internal job descriptions.
For Senior Quality Engineer in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $102,440; the May 2024 median is $101,140. Their arithmetic difference is $1,300. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. The middle-band width is $45,650. For Senior Quality Engineer in the United States, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded. Industry-specific medians are notable in Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at $127,140 and in the Chemical Manufacturing sector at $118,700. These figures illustrate the significant industry premiums available for engineers.
Regional hiring hubs provide additional context, with Detroit-Warren-Dearborn showing a median of $104,110 and Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington reporting $104,730. The middle-band width in Detroit is $45,180, while Minneapolis registers $39,440. A location quotient of 3.87 in Detroit indicates a very high employment concentration for this occupational group, whereas Minneapolis reports a 3.04 quotient. For Senior Quality Engineer in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $102,440; the May 2024 median is $101,140. Their arithmetic difference is $1,300. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
Because this data is pulled from the broader Industrial Engineers category, it does not explicitly account for individual plant requirements or specific quality-system knowledge. These constraints mean the data provides a general benchmark rather than a customized salary recommendation. We do not estimate values beyond the provided packet. For Senior Quality Engineer in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $102,440; the May 2024 median is $101,140. Their arithmetic difference is $1,300. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing reflects industry-specific requirements for quality engineering within that sector. For Senior Quality Engineer in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $83,600 to $129,250 annually.
How does this role differ from a Quality Engineering Manager?
The Senior Quality Engineer focuses on technical containment and root cause analysis. A manager focuses on team coordination and oversight of engineering investigations.
Why is the Petroleum industry median higher than the general median?
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing reflects industry-specific requirements for quality engineering within that sector. For Senior Quality Engineer in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $83,600 to $129,250 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them.
What is a location quotient of 3.87?
It represents the ratio of Industrial Engineer employment in Detroit relative to the national average. It confirms a high concentration of the profession in the region.
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