Side-by-side distribution
Production Manager
$93,995
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.5%
- Live roles
- 1,799
Quality Assurance
$108,856
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.4%
- Live roles
- 841
Highest-paying jobs
Production Supervisor 2nd Shift
Manager, Security Engineering, Production Security
Manager, Software Engineering - Production Engineering
Tech Lead and Manager (TLM), Production Engineering
Marketing - Senior Manager/Manager, Event Production, Events & Experiences
AMC-R Production Program Manager 3
Senior Manager, Production Engineering
Program Manager II-Production
QPU Production Test Development Manager
Manager Production Operations 3
Highest-paying jobs
QA Manager, Personal Health Care, External Supply Solutions
Contract QA/QC Program Implementation Manager
Compliance QA Program Manager
Cx, QA, & Field Engineer, Site Manager
Senior Manager, Quality Assurance
AI Quality Assurance Engineering Manager
Senior Manager / Associate Director, Clinical Quality Assurance
Software Quality Assurance Manager 2
Software Quality Assurance Specialist/Applications Tester - TS/SCI with Polygraph
Principal QA Specialist (Assembly & Packaging), CVRM
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$174,800 | 17 |
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 17 |
Kraft Heinz
|
$87,550 | 15 |
Saputo
|
$83,021 | 10 |
3M
|
$100,160 | 9 |
Heidelberg Materials
|
$99,047 | 9 |
Gotion, Inc.
|
$90,000 | 9 |
LandCare
|
$77,500 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Regeneron
|
$103,700 | 18 |
Cardinal Health
|
$92,425 | 9 |
Gilead Sciences
|
$142,155 | 7 |
Bristol Myers Squibb
|
$107,485 | 6 |
Loblaw
|
$80,750 | 6 |
| AB AbCellera | $65,411 | 6 |
|
GDIT
|
$144,762 | 5 |
|
Roche
|
$134,300 | 5 |
Production Manager salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $147,775 | 8 |
| Chicago | $103,208 | 13 |
| Los Angeles | $102,500 | 19 |
| New York | $97,500 | 32 |
| Toronto | $88,500 | 5 |
| Boston | $80,000 | 9 |
| Denver | $73,133 | 3 |
| Austin | $58,963 | 3 |
Quality Assurance salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $152,100 | 5 |
| Atlanta | $135,000 | 3 |
| New York | $133,750 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $110,000 | 5 |
| Toronto | $108,322 | 4 |
| Chicago | $85,250 | 6 |
Production Manager vs Quality Assurance: which pays more?
The median for Production Manager is $93,995 per year (typically $77,739–$122,129), versus $108,856 for Quality Assurance ($80,962–$135,060). That puts Quality Assurance about 16% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Production Manager and Quality Assurance are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.