Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers pay in the United States

Goes furthest in Alaska
·Production·
597k jobs
Figures from US Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wage Statistics
$23.35/hr median
597,370 employed
+3% to 2035
45% AI exposure
High school diploma or equivalent
54 states reported
and more...

What this work is

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.

Where the money actually goes furthest

Alaska pays the most both before and after cost of living — $78,150, worth $76,348 once local prices are counted.

Pay by state

54 states and territories publish a median for this occupation. Switch the ranking to see how much the order changes.

Adjusted for what things cost in that state.

Median pay for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers by state, ranked by what it is worth locally
StateHourlyAnnualWorth locallyAfter state taxJobs
Alaska$37.57/hr$78,150$76,348$78,150300
Wyoming$27.84/hr$57,900$62,466$57,900990
Montana$27.92/hr$58,070$61,352$55,758580
Washington$30.97/hr$64,420$60,199$64,42012,010
Missouri$26.17/hr$54,420$59,920$52,71912,480
Kansas$25.81/hr$53,680$59,598$50,9739,300
Maryland$29.71/hr$61,790$58,870$59,0354,600
Minnesota$27.49/hr$57,170$57,969$54,7459,710
Iowa$24.40/hr$50,740$57,816$49,3667,230
Delaware$27.50/hr$57,190$57,298$54,5821,020
North Dakota$24.43/hr$50,820$57,126$50,8201,800
Nebraska$24.65/hr$51,270$56,903$49,5133,350
Colorado$28.06/hr$58,350$56,623$56,4905,220
Oklahoma$23.86/hr$49,630$56,500$47,7627,430
Louisiana$23.80/hr$49,490$56,104$48,3808,110
Maine$25.76/hr$53,570$55,198$51,1941,800
Connecticut$27.45/hr$57,090$55,100$54,7007,460
District of Columbia$28.71/hr$59,730$54,349$57,19670
Hawaii$28.72/hr$59,740$54,333$56,642650
Rhode Island$26.41/hr$54,940$53,715$53,2751,790
New Mexico$23.80/hr$49,500$53,681$48,1861,550
South Dakota$22.71/hr$47,240$53,324$47,2401,090
Wisconsin$23.85/hr$49,610$52,720$48,07817,670
New Hampshire$26.35/hr$54,800$52,606$54,8003,050
West Virginia$22.60/hr$47,010$52,525$45,5332,720
Oregon$26.02/hr$54,120$52,360$49,9255,690
Arizona$25.05/hr$52,100$51,748$51,16211,120
Kentucky$22.25/hr$46,280$51,330$44,55512,880
Indiana$23.03/hr$47,900$51,323$46,49324,790
Arkansas$21.43/hr$44,570$51,265$43,0085,880
Ohio$22.77/hr$47,360$51,050$46,77332,060
South Carolina$22.54/hr$46,890$50,016$45,56513,360
Tennessee$22.00/hr$45,760$49,809$45,76017,140
Pennsylvania$23.23/hr$48,320$49,523$46,83625,870
Utah$23.52/hr$48,910$49,474$46,6846,630
Massachusetts$25.13/hr$52,270$49,423$49,65610,650
Nevada$23.69/hr$49,280$49,289$49,2804,040
North Carolina$22.32/hr$46,430$49,220$44,99819,700
Virginia$23.84/hr$49,590$49,050$47,4849,830
California$26.11/hr$54,300$49,042$52,79661,130
Illinois$23.04/hr$47,920$47,939$45,68531,700
Georgia$22.18/hr$46,130$47,907$44,35819,980
Texas$22.22/hr$46,210$47,609$46,21056,390
Idaho$21.70/hr$45,130$47,261$43,5112,900
Vermont$22.22/hr$46,210$47,172$44,896900
Mississippi$19.55/hr$40,670$46,774$38,9816,970
New York$24.03/hr$49,990$46,321$47,84519,790
Michigan$21.39/hr$44,490$46,237$42,83727,980
Florida$22.86/hr$47,540$45,972$47,54022,630
New Jersey$23.62/hr$49,140$45,161$47,91712,280
Alabama$19.24/hr$40,010$45,046$38,19913,120
Virgin Islands$22.71/hr$47,240Not publishedNot published30
Guam$21.23/hr$44,160Not publishedNot published50
Puerto Rico$14.36/hr$29,870Not publishedNot published3,870

National median for comparison: $48,570. “Worth locally” divides pay by the area’s price level, so a figure above the headline means money goes further there than the US average.

$48,570/year

$23.35/hr an hour, national median

Across the states

$26,670$116,510

25th to 75th percentile, lowest and highest state

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How much of this job could software do?

45%Moderate exposure
Hands, places, peopleLanguage and information

Both methods agree closely.

Method 1 — ability mix45%

Cognitive share of O*NET ability importance (element families 1.A.1–1.A.4), O*NET 31.0

Method 2 — task content45%

Importance-weighted share of O*NET tasks classed as language or information work, O*NET 31.0

What this does and does not mean

Exposure means a model could plausibly do a meaningful share of the tasks in this job. It is not a forecast that the job disappears, and it says nothing about whether any employer will actually automate it.

For what the labour market expects, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to change by +3% between 2025 and 2035, with about 66,700 openings a year.

Which parts are exposed

  • 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.

Amber marks language and information work. Green marks tasks that need a person in a place.

Where inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers move next

Occupations that share most of this one’s skills, with the pay difference and the change in AI exposure.

Location

San Diego, CA, United States of America (SAN-San Diego Intl.)

Photograph by EqualStock IN.