Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

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
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
497,300 1.0 % $14.65 $30,470 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.09 $10.18 $13.34 $17.80 $23.91
Annual Wage (2) $16,830 $21,160 $27,750 $37,030 $49,730

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Employment services 25,830 $10.62 $22,090 1 195
Motor vehicle parts manufacturing 22,660 $17.72 $36,850 2 32
Plastics product manufacturing 19,430 $12.60 $26,200 3 162
Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. 17,670 $13.60 $28,290 4 138
Architectural and engineering services 15,480 $17.06 $35,490 5 40

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Power generation and supply 1,330 $27.59 $57,390 88 1
Telecommunications resellers 100 $26.83 $55,810 167 2
Wired telecommunications carriers 300 $26.10 $54,290 139 3
Scheduled air transportation 720 $25.71 $53,470 113 4
Federal government (OES designation) 12,500 $25.35 $52,730 7 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
South Carolina 12,590 $13.18 $27,410 0.714% 394
Indiana 20,260 $15.30 $31,820 0.710% 407
North Carolina 24,080 $12.51 $26,020 0.650% 512
Arkansas 7,180 $12.83 $26,680 0.642% 357
Michigan 26,230 $17.94 $37,310 0.605% 349

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
District of Columbia 270 $20.47 $42,580 0.045% 241
Alaska 350 $19.92 $41,430 0.120% 245
Michigan 26,230 $17.94 $37,310 0.605% 349
Hawaii 380 $17.36 $36,110 0.069% 261
Louisiana 5,250 $17.34 $36,070 0.284% 276

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Sumter, SC MSA 560 $11.24 $23,380 1.521%
Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSA 2,210 $11.86 $24,670 1.351%
Vineland-Millville-Bridgeton, NJ PMSA 750 $12.73 $26,480 1.290%
Rocky Mount, NC MSA 750 $11.19 $23,280 1.215%
Anniston, AL MSA 540 $14.74 $30,660 1.179%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Bremerton, WA PMSA 250 $23.35 $48,570 0.340%
Lake Charles, LA MSA 250 $21.76 $45,270 0.307%
Brazoria, TX PMSA 220 $21.07 $43,830 0.291%
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX MSA 470 $20.46 $42,560 0.307%
Enid, OK MSA 40 $20.41 $42,450 0.199%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

All Production Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004