Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2010

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)
410,750 0.8 % $17.09 $35,550 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.68 $12.19 $15.88 $20.72 $26.72
Annual Wage (2) $20,140 $25,360 $33,030 $43,110 $55,570

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 24,600 0.92 $14.05 $29,230
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 17,650 3.67 $22.94 $47,720
Plastics Product Manufacturing 16,620 3.31 $15.40 $32,030
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 15,870 1.24 $19.05 $39,620
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 15,870 4.32 $16.09 $33,470

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Glass and Glass Product Manufacturing 4,860 6.03 $15.82 $32,910
Fabric Mills 2,840 5.43 $13.90 $28,900
Apparel Knitting Mills 840 5.05 $12.09 $25,150
Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills 1,700 4.75 $12.74 $26,490
Rubber Product Manufacturing 5,580 4.65 $17.27 $35,920

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 1,180 0.30 $26.85 $55,840
Natural Gas Distribution 820 0.76 $25.71 $53,470
Rail Transportation 70 0.03 $25.03 $52,070
Other Pipeline Transportation 60 0.90 $24.76 $51,500
Local Government (OES Designation) 2,250 0.04 $23.82 $49,540

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 47,080 3.36 1.04 $17.65 $36,700
Texas 30,220 3.00 0.93 $16.73 $34,810
Pennsylvania 20,430 3.73 1.15 $17.57 $36,540
Ohio 20,050 4.07 1.26 $17.19 $35,760
Michigan 19,270 5.13 1.59 $17.72 $36,860




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 16,960 6.22 1.93 $16.37 $34,050
Michigan 19,270 5.13 1.59 $17.72 $36,860
Wisconsin 13,320 5.11 1.58 $15.85 $32,970
Arkansas 5,750 5.06 1.57 $14.53 $30,220
Kentucky 8,620 5.03 1.56 $16.45 $34,220




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 350 1.15 0.36 $25.79 $53,640
District of Columbia 120 0.18 0.06 $24.84 $51,660
New Mexico 1,040 1.34 0.41 $22.35 $46,490
Washington 7,660 2.84 0.88 $21.60 $44,920
Wyoming 710 2.64 0.82 $20.62 $42,880

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)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 13,710 3.59 1.11 $17.72 $36,860
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL Metropolitan Division 10,570 2.98 0.92 $17.58 $36,560
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 9,640 3.86 1.20 $17.42 $36,230
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 7,160 1.44 0.45 $17.82 $37,070
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 7,050 5.13 1.59 $17.54 $36,480
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 5,280 2.92 0.90 $19.50 $40,560
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 5,220 2.37 0.73 $16.00 $33,280
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 5,210 2.60 0.81 $16.70 $34,750
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 5,050 6.44 1.99 $15.30 $31,830
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 4,980 4.89 1.51 $19.06 $39,640




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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Columbus, IN 620 15.47 4.79 $15.54 $32,320
Morristown, TN 600 13.97 4.32 $13.97 $29,060
Elkhart-Goshen, IN 1,290 12.94 4.00 $15.93 $33,130
Dalton, GA 730 11.59 3.59 $14.10 $29,320
Gainesville, GA 780 11.53 3.57 $12.10 $25,180
Burlington, NC 590 10.91 3.38 $12.04 $25,030
Spartanburg, SC 1,140 10.17 3.15 $14.88 $30,960
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 1,390 10.09 3.12 $13.85 $28,800
Logan, UT-ID 450 9.36 2.90 $13.51 $28,100
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 3,310 9.25 2.86 $15.87 $33,020