Occupations · Production
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.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 51-9061.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 71% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $49,530 | 22,770 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $47,330 | 21,380 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $43,810 | 17,030 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $49,620 | 16,600 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $44,490 | 15,320 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $44,410 | 11,620 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $45,400 | 9,660 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $55,220 | 7,700 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $62,480 | 7,700 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $49,700 | 7,670 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $53,910 | 7,320 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $50,120 | 6,920 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- 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 dials or meters to verify that equipment is functioning at specified levels.
- Make minor adjustments to equipment, such as turning setscrews to calibrate instruments to required tolerances.
- Read blueprints, data, manuals, or other materials to determine specifications, inspection and testing procedures, adjustment methods, certification processes, formulas, or measuring instruments required.
- Check arriving materials to ensure that they match purchase orders, submitting discrepancy reports as necessary.
- Monitor production operations or equipment to ensure conformance to specifications, making necessary process or assembly adjustments.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2020-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2020-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning. 4 entries that were only relabelled between releases are left out.
Now listed 15
No longer listed 2
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| product grader | 7543.8 | close |
| battery test technician | 7543.3 | broader |
| cigar inspector | 7543.10.1 | broader |
| clothing quality inspector | 7543.10.2 | broader |
| electrical equipment inspector | 7543.7.3 | broader |
| footwear quality controller | 7543.9.1 | broader |
| leather goods quality controller | 7543.9.2 | broader |
| leather sorter | 7535.1 | broader |
| metal product quality control inspector | 7543.9.3 | broader |
| product assembly inspector | 7543.7 | broader |
| textile quality inspector | 7543.10.4 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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