Average Test Development Engineer Salary in Washington D.C., United States for 2025

In this article, we will look at the average Test Development Engineer salary for 2025 in Washington D.C. and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Test Development Engineer Make in Washington D.C.?

A Test Development Engineer working in Washington D.C. will typically earn around 88,400 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 42,700 USD to the highest average salary of 139,100 USD.

Average Annual Salary88,400 USD
Average Monthly Salary7,366 USD
Average Lowest Salary42,700 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary3,558 USD
Average Highest Salary139,100 USD
Highest Monthly Salary11,591 USD

These are average salaries for a Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Test Development Engineer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Test Development Engineer salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Test Development Engineer Salaries in Washington D.C.

So we've looked at the average salaries a Test Development Engineer will earn in Washington D.C.. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Test Development Engineer can earn between 42,700 USD and 139,100 USD on average in Washington D.C.. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. is 90,900 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 90,900 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 90,900 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Test Development Engineer salary in Washington D.C., 25% of the population are earning less than 60,200 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 60,200 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 118,900 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 118,900 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Test Development Engineer Salary by Experience Level in Washington D.C.

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Test Development Engineer salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 50,500 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Test Development Engineer salary would increase to 68,300 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Test Development Engineer, the average salary would be 92,100 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 114,600 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Test Development Engineer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 119,700 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Test Development Engineer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 130,400 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
50,500 USD
2-5 Years+42%
68,300 USD
5-10 Years+31%
92,100 USD
10-15 Years+23%
114,600 USD
15-20 Years+6%
119,700 USD
20+ Years+10%
130,400 USD

Test Development Engineer Salary by Education Level in Washington D.C.

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 78,500 USD.
  • Master's Degree. A Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 111,700 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Bachelor's Degree-
78,500 USD
Master's Degree+43%
111,700 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Test Development Engineer Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Washington D.C., a male test development engineer will earn an average of 84,800 USD, while a female test development engineer will earn around 81,400 USD.

This means that a male test development engineer earns approximately 4% more than a female test development engineer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Washington D.C.

Male-
84,800 USD
Female-4%
81,400 USD

Test Development Engineer Average Pay Raise in Washington D.C.

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. is around 11% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C. can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Washington D.C. for 2025

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Test Development Engineer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Washington D.C.

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Test Development Engineer is a moderate bonus based job, with 53% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

47% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5%.

Received Bonus-
53%
No Bonus-
47%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Test Development Engineer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Test Development Engineer in Washington D.C..

Job TitleCategorySalary
Acoustics EngineerEngineering77,300 USD
Assembly Engineering TechnicianEngineering64,900 USD
Assistant Chief EngineerEngineering96,500 USD
Associate EngineerEngineering79,000 USD
AutoCAD DrafterEngineering51,300 USD
Autocad OperatorEngineering51,900 USD
Automation EngineerEngineering93,100 USD
Automation EngineerEngineering93,300 USD
Avionic System Support EngineerEngineering78,100 USD
BMS EngineerEngineering81,600 USD
Biochemical EngineerEngineering83,800 USD
Bridge and Lock TenderEngineering47,400 USD
Broadcast EngineerEngineering79,600 USD
CAD Design EngineerEngineering90,900 USD
CAD DesignerEngineering51,400 USD
CAE EngineerEngineering83,300 USD
Ceramics EngineerEngineering80,300 USD
Chemical EngineerEngineering81,300 USD
Civil DrafterEngineering49,300 USD
Civil EngineerEngineering86,800 USD
Civil Site EngineerEngineering83,700 USD
Civil TechnicianEngineering51,400 USD
Commissioning EngineerEngineering87,700 USD
Communications EngineerEngineering93,800 USD
Condition Monitoring EngineerEngineering73,700 USD
Contract Associate EngineerEngineering83,100 USD
Contract EngineerEngineering77,000 USD
Control Systems EngineerEngineering80,000 USD
Controls EngineerEngineering86,600 USD
Controls Software EngineerEngineering76,000 USD
Corrosion EngineerEngineering75,900 USD
Design EngineerEngineering86,600 USD
Director of EngineeringEngineering176,300 USD
DrafterEngineering53,600 USD
Drafting ManagerEngineering100,400 USD
Drilling EngineerEngineering87,300 USD
Drilling ForemanEngineering24,200 USD
Electrical DraughtsmanEngineering41,000 USD
Electrical EngineerEngineering91,700 USD
Electrical Engineering ManagerEngineering121,800 USD
Electromechanical Engineering TechnologistEngineering94,200 USD
Electromechanical Equipment AssemblerEngineering45,100 USD
Energy EngineerEngineering86,300 USD
Engine AssemblerEngineering38,000 USD
EngineerEngineering91,600 USD
Engineering Account ManagerEngineering99,100 USD
Engineering Chief DesignerEngineering98,800 USD
Engineering ConsultantEngineering114,300 USD
Engineering Key Account ManagerEngineering117,100 USD
Engineering Lab TechnicianEngineering80,300 USD
Engineering ManagerEngineering124,500 USD
Engineering Planning ManagerEngineering114,900 USD
Engineering Production ManagerEngineering157,600 USD
Engineering Project AnalystEngineering100,300 USD
Engineering Project Coordinator Engineering101,100 USD
Engineering Project DirectorEngineering172,100 USD
Engineering Project LeaderEngineering108,200 USD
Engineering Project ManagerEngineering123,000 USD
Engineering Research and Development ManagerEngineering142,300 USD
Engineering Safety CoordinatorEngineering68,400 USD
Engineering Sales ManagerEngineering119,700 USD
Engineering TechnicianEngineering66,200 USD
Engineering TechnologistEngineering66,700 USD
Environmental EngineerEngineering85,800 USD
Equipment EngineerEngineering74,700 USD
Equipment Engineering ManagerEngineering114,600 USD
EstimatorEngineering72,300 USD
Fabrication SpecialistEngineering61,700 USD
FabricatorEngineering35,400 USD
Facade EngineerEngineering81,000 USD
Fiber AnalystEngineering48,600 USD
Field EngineerEngineering91,600 USD
Field Engineering ManagerEngineering140,700 USD
Fire EngineerEngineering90,600 USD
Fitter and TurnerEngineering27,300 USD
Forestry Strategic PlannerEngineering99,100 USD
Generation EngineerEngineering89,900 USD
Genetic EngineerEngineering92,000 USD
Geological EngineerEngineering91,600 USD
Geotechnical EngineerEngineering90,300 USD
HSE ProfessionalEngineering82,200 USD
HVAC EngineerEngineering87,400 USD
HVAC SupervisorEngineering80,400 USD
Heavy Equipment MechanicEngineering44,200 USD
Highway EngineerEngineering86,100 USD
Industrial EngineerEngineering80,800 USD
Industrial Engineering TechnologistEngineering78,400 USD
Instrument EngineerEngineering83,800 USD
Instrument TechnicianEngineering49,400 USD
Instrumentation DesignerEngineering70,500 USD
Instrumentation EngineerEngineering82,200 USD
Instrumentation ManagerEngineering85,700 USD
Instrumentation and Control EngineerEngineering81,400 USD
Irrigation EngineerEngineering83,000 USD
Licensed Aircraft EngineerEngineering89,400 USD
Locomotive EngineerEngineering83,800 USD
Maintenance EngineerEngineering81,300 USD
Maintenance FitterEngineering30,100 USD
Maintenance ManagerEngineering86,100 USD
Manufacturing EngineerEngineering78,500 USD
Marine EngineerEngineering87,200 USD
Materials EngineerEngineering86,800 USD
Materials ResearcherEngineering79,600 USD
Materials TechnicianEngineering63,800 USD
Mechanical Design EngineerEngineering85,800 USD
Mechanical DesignerEngineering74,100 USD
Mechanical EngineerEngineering86,600 USD
Mechanical Engineering ManagerEngineering115,600 USD
Mechanical InspectorEngineering83,800 USD
Mechanical and Electrical EngineerEngineering90,900 USD
Mechatronics EngineerEngineering87,700 USD
Mining EngineerEngineering83,400 USD
Oil and Petrochemical EngineerEngineering96,000 USD
Optical EngineerEngineering83,100 USD
Optical Instrument AssemblerEngineering40,200 USD
PCB AssemblerEngineering30,000 USD
Photonics EngineerEngineering90,600 USD
Photonics TechnicianEngineering76,000 USD
Pipeline EngineerEngineering73,700 USD
Piping DesignerEngineering45,200 USD
Piping EngineerEngineering78,700 USD
Planning EngineerEngineering83,300 USD
Pressure Vessel InspectorEngineering41,400 USD
Principal Cost EngineerEngineering83,900 USD
Principal EngineerEngineering87,000 USD
Principal Support EngineerEngineering87,800 USD
Process EngineerEngineering81,600 USD
Process OperatorEngineering50,500 USD
Product Development EngineerEngineering90,000 USD
Product Development TechnicianEngineering61,600 USD
Product EngineerEngineering91,200 USD
Product Safety EngineerEngineering78,900 USD
Production EngineerEngineering81,300 USD
Project EngineerEngineering87,700 USD
Proposal ManagerEngineering114,600 USD
Purchasing EngineerEngineering77,000 USD
Quality Assurance EngineerEngineering83,800 USD
Rail EngineerEngineering85,700 USD
Regional Field EngineerEngineering90,900 USD
Robotics EngineerEngineering97,400 USD
Robotics TechnicianEngineering73,200 USD
Safety EngineerEngineering90,600 USD
Safety InspectorEngineering68,800 USD
Safety ManagerEngineering97,600 USD
Safety OfficerEngineering44,500 USD
Sales EngineerEngineering94,100 USD
Scheduling EngineerEngineering80,800 USD
Service EngineerEngineering92,900 USD
Solar EngineerEngineering92,100 USD
Staff EngineerEngineering88,600 USD
Static Equipment EngineerEngineering87,300 USD
Stationary EngineerEngineering71,900 USD
Stress EngineerEngineering81,700 USD
Structural Analysis EngineerEngineering79,500 USD
Structural DesignerEngineering70,500 USD
Structural EngineerEngineering83,200 USD
Structural TechnicianEngineering57,800 USD
Supply Chain SpecialistEngineering86,300 USD
SurveyorEngineering63,500 USD
Technical Affairs OfficerEngineering43,100 USD
Technical AssistantEngineering42,700 USD
Technical EngineerEngineering77,000 USD
Technical Support EngineerEngineering73,700 USD
Tender EngineerEngineering79,600 USD
Test EngineerEngineering87,700 USD
Transportation EngineerEngineering79,000 USD
Validation EngineerEngineering74,100 USD
Verification EngineerEngineering80,500 USD
Wastewater EngineerEngineering83,700 USD
Wind Energy EngineerEngineering87,600 USD
Wind Energy Operations ManagerEngineering118,900 USD
Work PlannerEngineering61,800 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta75,800 USD
Austin92,100 USD
Baltimore83,000 USD
Boston87,400 USD
Bristol68,500 USD
Chicago103,600 USD
Cincinnati71,700 USD
Cleveland78,500 USD
Dallas96,600 USD
Denver88,300 USD
Detroit84,800 USD
Honolulu68,400 USD
Houston93,600 USD
Indianapolis89,400 USD
Iowa City65,100 USD
Jacksonville90,300 USD
Kansas City80,200 USD
Kent69,400 USD
Las Vegas79,600 USD
Long Beach79,600 USD
Los Angeles102,700 USD
Memphis81,600 USD
Miami74,600 USD
Minneapolis75,400 USD
New Orleans72,400 USD
New York94,300 USD
Oakland77,400 USD
Oklahoma City86,600 USD
Orlando69,200 USD
Philadelphia96,500 USD
Phoenix99,700 USD
Sacramento84,900 USD
San Antonio98,300 USD
San Diego97,200 USD
San Francisco88,600 USD
San Jose92,100 USD
Seattle84,800 USD
Tampa78,200 USD
Vancouver69,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama83,300 USD
Alaska73,100 USD
Arizona92,100 USD
Arkansas83,000 USD
California91,700 USD
Colorado83,300 USD
Connecticut87,400 USD
Delaware79,000 USD
District of Columbia74,600 USD
Florida92,200 USD
Georgia86,100 USD
Hawaii79,800 USD
Idaho79,600 USD
Illinois92,900 USD
Indiana86,600 USD
Iowa86,800 USD
Kansas81,900 USD
Kentucky86,100 USD
Louisiana84,600 USD
Maine73,800 USD
Maryland91,700 USD
Massachusetts87,800 USD
Michigan89,400 USD
Minnesota83,200 USD
Mississippi83,700 USD
Missouri87,400 USD
Montana75,800 USD
Nebraska78,200 USD
Nevada76,800 USD
New Hampshire80,400 USD
New Jersey92,100 USD
New Mexico79,000 USD
New York91,700 USD
North Carolina86,600 USD
North Dakota76,800 USD
Ohio93,100 USD
Oklahoma80,500 USD
Oregon79,800 USD
Pennsylvania97,600 USD
Rhode Island78,500 USD
South Carolina86,400 USD
South Dakota73,500 USD
Tennessee83,800 USD
Texas95,600 USD
Utah80,000 USD
Vermont74,500 USD
Virginia85,700 USD
Washington92,900 USD
West Virginia81,300 USD
Wisconsin87,700 USD
Wyoming73,100 USD

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