Production Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 51-9061

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, then wages beside peers such as Nuclear Power Reactor Operators, Plant and System Operators, All Other, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($123K) , Plant and System Operators, All Other ($62K) , Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers ($65K) , Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters ($63K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 51-9061 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Discard or reject products, materials, or equipment not meeting specifications
  2. 2. Mark items with details, such as grade or acceptance-rejection status
  3. 3. Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments, such as rulers, calipers, gauges, or…
  4. 4. Notify supervisors or other personnel of production problems
  5. 5. Inspect, test, or measure materials, products, installations, or work for conformance to specifications
  6. 6. Write test or inspection reports describing results, recommendations, or needed repairs
  7. 7. Recommend necessary corrective actions, based on inspection results
  8. 8. Read dials or meters to verify that equipment is functioning at specified levels
  9. 9. Make minor adjustments to equipment, such as turning setscrews to calibrate instruments to required tolerances
  10. 10. Read blueprints, data, manuals, or other materials to determine specifications, inspection and testing procedures, adjustment methods, ce…
  11. 11. Check arriving materials to ensure that they match purchase orders, submitting discrepancy reports as necessary
  12. 12. Monitor production operations or equipment to ensure conformance to specifications, making necessary process or assembly adjustments

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers: O*NET ranks Quality Control Analysis first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 51-9061 - lead skill Quality Control Analysis at 3.8 ; lead knowledge Production and Processing. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Quality Control Analysis 3.8
  2. 2. Writing 3.3
  3. 3. Critical Thinking 3.3
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 3.1
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.1
  6. 6. Speaking 3.1
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.1
  8. 8. Monitoring 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Production and Processing 4.3
  2. 2. English Language 3.6
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.4
  4. 4. Mechanical 3.2
  5. 5. Mathematics 3.1
  6. 6. Computers and Electronics 2.9
Occupation safety grade
B
Safe
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $48,570/yr
$49K
National median
69,900
Annual openings
597,370
Estimated US jobs
Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

1. Delaware $57,190
2. Washington $64,420
3. Colorado $58,350
4. District of Columbia $59,730
5. Montana $58,070
6. Minnesota $57,170
7. Alaska $78,150
8. Hawaii $59,740
9. Maryland $61,790
10. Wyoming $57,900

Other Production Occupations titles

  1. 1. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators $122,890
  2. 2. Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers $65,380
  3. 3. Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters $62,620
  4. 4. First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $74,450
  5. 5. Plant and System Operators, All Other $62,470
  6. 6. Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers $68,120

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of B from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $48,570 inside Production Occupations (SOC 51-9061).

A separate current BLS Employment Projections row is not available for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Delaware at $57,190. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Nuclear Power Reactor Operators at $122,890. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers pay-rank #44 in Production Occupations

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers sits at pay-rank #44 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Safety grade B carries into what comes next for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers: the OEWS state map, the safest/highest-pay peers, and a head-to-head against another SOC.

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 51-9061

Delaware · top state for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

$57K published median

Washington · #2 state pay

$64K · behind Delaware

Nuclear Power Reactor Operators

Highest-pay peer vs Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers · $123K

Plant and System Operators, All Other

Lower-pay peer beside Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers · $62K

Compare Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers mid-table among Production Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #44 of 105 detailed Production Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ($49K), Prepress Technicians and Workers ($49K), Heat Treating Equipment Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic ($49K), Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders ($48K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. Leading ones include: 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…; Notify supervisors or other personnel of production problems. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers? ▼
For SOC 51-9061, O*NET importance scores lead with Quality Control Analysis (3.8), Writing (3.3), Critical Thinking (3.3), Reading Comprehension (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Production and Processing, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $48,570 as the national median for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. The published 10th-90th range is $35,510 to $77,860. Beside Nuclear Power Reactor Operators ($122,890), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers? ▼
Delaware ($57,190), Washington ($64,420), Colorado ($58,350) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 51-9061. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics