Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012

51-9061 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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
454,010 0.7 % $17.90 $37,240 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.84 $12.54 $16.57 $21.85 $28.29
Annual Wage (2) $20,460 $26,090 $34,460 $45,450 $58,840

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services 28,480 0.91 $14.45 $30,060
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 24,530 1.89 $19.79 $41,150
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 19,860 4.03 $24.64 $51,250
Plastics Product Manufacturing 19,590 3.83 $15.36 $31,940
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 16,730 3.53 $18.40 $38,280

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills 1,830 5.44 $13.23 $27,520
Apparel Knitting Mills 690 5.22 $11.34 $23,580
Fabric Mills 2,830 5.06 $14.51 $30,180
Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing 3,510 4.41 $16.42 $34,160
Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities 5,780 4.30 $16.93 $35,210

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 980 0.25 $30.78 $64,020
Other Pipeline Transportation 100 1.57 $28.09 $58,420
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil 70 0.80 $27.94 $58,120
Natural Gas Distribution 730 0.68 $26.53 $55,190
Nonscheduled Air Transportation 50 0.11 $25.55 $53,150

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 47,310 3.31 0.95 $18.63 $38,740
Texas 40,620 3.84 1.10 $18.25 $37,970
Ohio 23,090 4.57 1.31 $17.25 $35,880
Michigan 22,900 5.85 1.68 $17.65 $36,720
Pennsylvania 21,580 3.86 1.11 $18.85 $39,200




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Indiana 19,620 6.98 2.00 $16.49 $34,290
Michigan 22,900 5.85 1.68 $17.65 $36,720
New Hampshire 3,550 5.80 1.66 $18.15 $37,750
South Carolina 9,840 5.48 1.57 $16.15 $33,590
Arkansas 5,980 5.18 1.49 $15.24 $31,690




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 500 1.58 0.45 $30.12 $62,640
New Mexico 1,280 1.65 0.47 $25.29 $52,600
District of Columbia 110 0.17 0.05 $24.85 $51,690
Washington 9,930 3.59 1.03 $23.00 $47,840
Wyoming 740 2.66 0.76 $22.03 $45,830





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 13,460 5.10 1.46 $19.67 $40,910
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 13,300 3.44 0.99 $17.90 $37,230
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 11,640 3.20 0.92 $17.21 $35,800
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 7,240 6.75 1.94 $18.58 $38,640
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 6,990 4.96 1.42 $18.42 $38,320
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 6,740 1.31 0.37 $18.49 $38,460
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 6,300 3.00 0.86 $18.10 $37,650
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 6,170 4.37 1.26 $25.96 $53,990
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 5,580 2.47 0.71 $16.33 $33,980
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 5,290 3.02 0.87 $18.93 $39,360