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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
551,380 0.8 % $ 21.54 $ 44,810 0.3 %

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

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.86 $ 15.16 $ 18.55 $ 23.78 $ 30.27
Annual Wage (2) $ 28,820 $ 31,540 $ 38,580 $ 49,450 $ 62,970

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 39,830 1.14 $ 16.27 $ 33,830
Plastics Product Manufacturing 31,990 5.48 $ 18.18 $ 37,810
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 26,570 1.76 $ 23.91 $ 49,720
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 22,030 4.69 $ 30.03 $ 62,450
Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 21,770 4.05 $ 19.99 $ 41,580

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 610 7.74 $ 13.03 $ 27,100
Foundries 5,990 5.94 $ 20.83 $ 43,330
Fabric Mills 2,570 5.64 $ 16.57 $ 34,460
Plastics Product Manufacturing 31,990 5.48 $ 18.18 $ 37,810
Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing 16,460 5.24 $ 24.89 $ 51,760

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 230 0.06 $ 44.63 $ 92,840
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 950 0.25 $ 41.22 $ 85,730
Other Pipeline Transportation 90 1.11 $ 40.94 $ 85,150
Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations 170 0.04 $ 39.09 $ 81,310
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil 110 0.92 $ 38.62 $ 80,340

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 2021


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 59,990 3.63 0.93 $ 22.73 $ 47,280
Texas 47,720 3.90 1.00 $ 20.77 $ 43,200
Ohio 29,930 5.75 1.47 $ 20.82 $ 43,300
Illinois 29,390 5.23 1.34 $ 21.08 $ 43,850
Michigan 29,270 7.21 1.84 $ 19.29 $ 40,130


Map of location quotient of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by state, May 2021


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)
Michigan 29,270 7.21 1.84 $ 19.29 $ 40,130
Indiana 19,800 6.64 1.70 $ 21.39 $ 44,490
Wisconsin 18,270 6.63 1.69 $ 20.42 $ 42,470
Alabama 11,410 5.92 1.51 $ 17.72 $ 36,850
Ohio 29,930 5.75 1.47 $ 20.82 $ 43,300


Map of annual mean wages of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by state, May 2021


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 200 0.66 0.17 $ 34.71 $ 72,200
North Dakota 1,710 4.33 1.11 $ 33.18 $ 69,010
Washington 11,500 3.59 0.92 $ 28.91 $ 60,130
Hawaii 320 0.59 0.15 $ 27.58 $ 57,370
Wyoming 870 3.34 0.85 $ 26.22 $ 54,530



Map of employment of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by area, May 2021


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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 22,710 3.97 1.01 $ 22.33 $ 46,440
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 21,120 4.99 1.28 $ 21.52 $ 44,760
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 15,770 1.82 0.46 $ 22.83 $ 47,490
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 14,870 4.14 1.06 $ 19.86 $ 41,300
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 13,940 4.81 1.23 $ 21.86 $ 45,480
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 12,690 7.04 1.80 $ 19.81 $ 41,200
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 9,350 3.61 0.92 $ 19.77 $ 41,120
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 8,040 3.11 0.79 $ 25.96 $ 53,990
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 7,620 3.97 1.02 $ 31.86 $ 66,260
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 7,360 3.48 0.89 $ 22.89 $ 47,600


Map of location quotient of inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers by area, May 2021


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)
Dalton, GA 980 15.73 4.02 $ 17.41 $ 36,210
Morristown, TN 670 14.86 3.80 $ 16.36 $ 34,020
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 1,980 14.84 3.79 $ 20.94 $ 43,550
Sheboygan, WI 830 14.33 3.66 $ 20.10 $ 41,800
Janesville-Beloit, WI 820 12.72 3.25 $ 19.64 $ 40,860
Jackson, MI 650 11.98 3.06 $ 17.71 $ 36,840
Auburn-Opelika, AL 700 11.88 3.03 $ 14.73 $ 30,640
Columbus, IN 560 11.54 2.95 $ 20.25 $ 42,130
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 1,660 11.31 2.89 $ 17.00 $ 35,360
Sumter, SC 390 11.01 2.81 $ 18.85 $ 39,210