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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
Industry profile for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
Geographic profile for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

National estimates for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
579,740 0.9 % $ 22.74 $ 47,290 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.40 $ 17.13 $ 21.11 $ 26.69 $ 33.22
Annual Wage (2) $ 29,950 $ 35,630 $ 43,900 $ 55,510 $ 69,100


Industry profile for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Employment Services 40,350 1.03 $ 17.63 $ 36,670
Plastics Product Manufacturing 31,780 5.19 $ 19.22 $ 39,980
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 30,230 1.91 $ 25.62 $ 53,300
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 22,350 4.11 $ 21.01 $ 43,700
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 22,280 4.67 $ 31.64 $ 65,810

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Apparel Knitting Mills 530 6.89 $ 13.50 $ 28,080
Fabric Mills 2,770 6.01 $ 17.38 $ 36,150
Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills 1,420 5.84 $ 17.13 $ 35,640
Foundries 5,900 5.60 $ 22.51 $ 46,820
Plastics Product Manufacturing 31,780 5.19 $ 19.22 $ 39,980

Top paying industries for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Scheduled Air Transportation 240 0.05 $ 43.10 $ 89,650
Other Pipeline Transportation 40 0.52 $ 42.73 $ 88,880
Oil and Gas Extraction 140 0.14 $ 42.51 $ 88,420
Natural Gas Distribution 540 0.49 $ 42.23 $ 87,830
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas 380 1.22 $ 40.94 $ 85,160


Geographic profile for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 58,390 3.31 0.84 $ 24.66 $ 51,290
Texas 52,320 4.03 1.03 $ 22.53 $ 46,860
Illinois 32,750 5.57 1.42 $ 22.03 $ 45,820
Ohio 29,800 5.54 1.41 $ 21.97 $ 45,700
Michigan 28,540 6.72 1.71 $ 20.82 $ 43,300


Map of location quotient of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Carolina 14,820 6.89 1.76 $ 20.53 $ 42,700
Michigan 28,540 6.72 1.71 $ 20.82 $ 43,300
Mississippi 7,450 6.58 1.68 $ 19.10 $ 39,720
Indiana 20,050 6.49 1.66 $ 22.33 $ 46,440
Wisconsin 17,780 6.31 1.61 $ 21.53 $ 44,780


Map of annual mean wages of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 230 0.75 0.19 $ 33.59 $ 69,860
Washington 12,010 3.53 0.90 $ 30.20 $ 62,810
Hawaii 340 0.58 0.15 $ 29.63 $ 61,640
North Dakota 1,520 3.74 0.96 $ 29.25 $ 60,830
Wyoming 980 3.65 0.93 $ 28.19 $ 58,630



Map of employment of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 22,910 5.19 1.32 $ 22.33 $ 46,450
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 20,940 3.43 0.88 $ 23.83 $ 49,570
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 17,170 1.87 0.48 $ 23.70 $ 49,290
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 15,620 4.10 1.05 $ 22.00 $ 45,750
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 14,910 4.88 1.24 $ 23.90 $ 49,700
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 12,140 6.50 1.66 $ 21.06 $ 43,810
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 9,670 3.55 0.90 $ 20.81 $ 43,280
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 8,250 3.05 0.78 $ 27.96 $ 58,160
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 7,850 3.85 0.98 $ 33.27 $ 69,200
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 7,800 2.82 0.72 $ 23.99 $ 49,900


Map of location quotient of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 2,250 15.83 4.04 $ 21.89 $ 45,540
Sumter, SC 540 15.08 3.85 $ 20.28 $ 42,170
Dalton, GA 950 14.67 3.74 $ 18.42 $ 38,310
Jackson, MI 690 12.37 3.16 $ 20.26 $ 42,140
Janesville-Beloit, WI 780 11.85 3.02 $ 19.15 $ 39,840
Columbus, IN 580 11.77 3.00 $ 21.12 $ 43,920
Sheboygan, WI 680 11.63 2.97 $ 20.46 $ 42,550
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 1,770 11.58 2.95 $ 18.13 $ 37,710
Grand Island, NE 480 11.50 2.93 $ 21.38 $ 44,460
Mansfield, OH 550 11.45 2.92 $ 18.47 $ 38,430


Map of annual mean wages of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 7,850 3.85 0.98 $ 33.27 $ 69,200
Anchorage, AK 120 0.74 0.19 $ 32.13 $ 66,820
California-Lexington Park, MD 60 1.32 0.34 $ 31.96 $ 66,470
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 190 2.08 0.53 $ 31.77 $ 66,090
Urban Honolulu, HI 290 0.67 0.17 $ 30.35 $ 63,120
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 1,290 3.28 0.84 $ 30.22 $ 62,860
Wichita, KS 2,660 8.99 2.29 $ 29.39 $ 61,130
Billings, MT 110 1.25 0.32 $ 29.22 $ 60,780
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 700 5.88 1.50 $ 28.92 $ 60,160
Bismarck, ND 120 1.64 0.42 $ 28.82 $ 59,950

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 2,910 9.05 2.31 $ 21.26 $ 44,220
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,900 11.81 3.01 $ 21.66 $ 45,040
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,860 13.69 3.49 $ 21.99 $ 45,740
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 2,500 6.53 1.66 $ 22.60 $ 47,000
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 2,350 10.39 2.65 $ 18.84 $ 39,190

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 2,130 14.66 3.74 $ 15.62 $ 32,490
Northern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 2,860 13.69 3.49 $ 21.99 $ 45,740
Lower Savannah South Carolina nonmetropolitan area 640 12.03 3.07 $ 19.21 $ 39,950
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area 2,900 11.81 3.01 $ 21.66 $ 45,040
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 780 11.68 2.98 $ 18.06 $ 37,570

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 0.20 $ 36.14 $ 75,170
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 650 5.90 1.50 $ 34.08 $ 70,880
Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 290 3.03 0.77 $ 28.68 $ 59,660
Eastern Wyoming nonmetropolitan area 270 3.27 0.83 $ 28.36 $ 58,980
Nevada nonmetropolitan area 700 6.99 1.78 $ 27.48 $ 57,160


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023