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Job outlook for systems testers in the United States
Systems Tester job and salary trends over time
Systems Tester jobs over time
Systems Tester job growth rate over time
| Year | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59,430 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 56,765 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 42,531 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 27,466 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 22,745 | 0.01% |
Average systems tester salary over time
Systems Tester salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $95,834 | $46.07 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $92,676 | $44.56 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $90,578 | $43.55 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $88,812 | $42.70 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $86,805 | $41.73 | +1.5% |
Systems Tester jobs by state
Most common states for systems testers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 245 | 35% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,077 | 28% |
| 3 | Vermont | 623,657 | 156 | 25% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 242 | 23% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 286 | 21% |
| 6 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 159 | 21% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 188 | 20% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 116 | 20% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 782 | 19% |
| 10 | Alaska | 739,795 | 130 | 18% |
| 11 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,166 | 17% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 965 | 17% |
| 13 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 354 | 17% |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 318 | 17% |
| 15 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 151 | 17% |
| 16 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,382 | 16% |
| 17 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,120 | 16% |
| 18 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 165 | 16% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 1,500 | 15% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 530 | 15% |
Most common cities for systems testers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington | 1 | 4% | $98,408 |
| 2 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $97,388 |
| 3 | Atlantic City | 1 | 3% | $104,021 |
| 4 | Cary | 2 | 1% | $87,443 |
| 5 | Fremont | 2 | 1% | $126,929 |
| 6 | Irvine | 2 | 1% | $108,141 |
| 7 | Plano | 2 | 1% | $88,719 |
| 8 | Appleton | 1 | 1% | $87,493 |
| 9 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $85,735 |
| 10 | Portland | 2 | 0% | $96,865 |
| 11 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $82,653 |
| 12 | Aurora | 1 | 0% | $85,499 |
| 13 | Austin | 1 | 0% | $90,865 |
| 14 | Boston | 1 | 0% | $98,481 |
Systems Tester job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of systems tester experts
Mount St. Joseph University
Florida Atlantic University
University of New Haven
University of Central Missouri
Murray State University
Montana State University
Rebecca Allen
Mount St. Joseph University
Special Education And Teaching
What general advice would you give to a Systems Tester?
Rebecca Allen: AI, for sure. I have heard it said that AI might not replace humans, rather humans who know how to use AI well may replace humans who don't.
Maria Larrondo Petrie Ph.D.
ProfessorFlorida Atlantic University
Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Systems Testers?
Maria Larrondo Petrie Ph.D.: Students graduating during the pandemic are missing career fair and career service events that the universities and professional association offer, which are very important to get an internship and an entry level position. So their entry-level position may be not in their major and not at the salary and responsibilities that they had hoped. This impacts subsequent offers.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Systems Testers?
Christopher Martinez Ph.D.: Courses that have a heavy emphasis on hands-on projects can have a massive impact on your job prospects. In the technology field, you want to make sure your resume has many tools/skills that the industry uses, from hardware, test equipment, software tools, and programming languages. If you can take a course that will allow you to learn what industry uses while teaching you theory, you should run to take the course.
What's a good job out of college for Systems Testers?
Christopher Martinez Ph.D.: The best job you can have out of college is a job you have passion for and will set you up to advance your career. If you have always wanted to work in aerospace, then you should seek out that field from the start. I hate to see students settle for a job because of pay or because they feel they can move to their dream field later.
Dr. Phoebe McLaughlin
Professor of Statistics & Mathematics Assistant Chair of Mathematics Programs Actuarial Science and Statistics Program CoordinatorUniversity of Central Missouri
School of Computer Science and Mathematics
What's a good job out of college for Systems Testers?
Dr. Phoebe McLaughlin: A good job out of college is some sort of entry-level actuarial job as an analyst. Typically, this is the first position in a traditional rotational program for insurance companies. Also, most employers will only expect this candidate to have 0-2 exams with a possible internship.
In general, any job within the field that pays would be good; experience is great, even if it's underwriting. An employee can always jump from job to job within a company. I just need to find a company where this is expected.
To be more specific, students should look for a work team that fits well. Some work teams are very distant, while others spend a lot of time together even outside of work. Also, they should consider the company and its values. They need to make sure that their personal goals fit within the values of the company.
Dr. Matthew Tennyson Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer ScienceMurray State University
Computer Science and Information Systems
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Systems Testers?
Dr. Matthew Tennyson Ph.D.: A bachelor's degree in computer science is extremely valuable. It has been and continues to be one of the most valuable college degrees a student can pursue. I really think all areas of computing are in demand, but web and mobile computing might be one of the strongest. Some employers do like to see extra certifications in addition to the bachelor's degree. There are literally hundreds of certifications available in the computing industry. They all vary in the required amount of time, effort, and money. I think anything that can set a candidate apart from other candidates is valuable, and that includes any certification. I would not recommend investing thousands of dollars into additional certifications after completing a bachelor's degree, but I don't think it's a bad idea for students to pursue one of the free or lower-cost certifications that are available - especially those students who might not have strong internship experience, extracurricular activities, projects, etc. to put on their resumes. I think anything DevOps related or cloud-based like Amazon's AWS or Microsoft's Azure are especially valuable right now.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Systems Tester job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Brock LaMeres Ph.D.: Businesses that do primarily computer-based work have not been impacted by COVID as much as trade-based businesses. They have figured out how to continue operations with the majority of their employees working from home. I feel like the types of jobs that people will hire into will have a significant "work-at-home" component. There will also be a surge in businesses trying to provide the resources for work-at-home employees.