Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
Inspect, test, sort, sample, or weigh nonagricultural raw materials or processed, machined, fabricated, or assembled parts or products for defects, wear, and deviations from specifications. May use precision measuring instruments and complex test equipment.
Also called: Inspector · QA Auditor (Quality Assurance Auditor) · QA Inspector (Quality Assurance Inspector) · QA Technician (Quality Assurance Technician) · QC Technician (Quality Control Technician) · Quality Auditor
Median pay (national)
$47,460
$34,590–$75,510 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
591,180
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
0%
~69,900 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $75,510 versus $34,590 at the bottom 10% — 2.2x. The median of $47,460 leaves roughly 59% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change 0% from 2024 to 2034 — slower than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 69,900 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 54 states with released data, Alaska pays the most for this role (median $98,800, +108% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $30,110 — a 228% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Writing, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint as in-demand technologies for this role.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Mathematics
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- Discard or reject products, materials, or equipment not meeting specifications.
- Mark items with details, such as grade or acceptance-rejection status.
- Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as rulers, calipers, gauges, or micrometers.
- Notify supervisors or other personnel of production problems.
- Inspect, test, or measure materials, products, installations, or work for conformance to specifications.
- Write test or inspection reports describing results, recommendations, or needed repairs.
- Recommend necessary corrective actions, based on inspection results.
- Read blueprints, data, manuals, or other materials to determine specifications, inspection and testing procedures, adjustment methods, certification processes, formulas, or measuring instruments required.
- Record inspection or test data, such as weights, temperatures, grades, or moisture content, and quantities inspected or graded.
- Position products, components, or parts for testing.
Tools & technology
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
- Apache Hive
- Atlassian JIRA
- Autodesk AutoCAD
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Extensible markup language XML
- Microsoft Visio
- R
- SAP software
- Selenium
- Structured query language SQL
- The MathWorks MATLAB
Knowledge areas
- Production and Processing
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Computers and Electronics
- Education and Training
- Engineering and Technology