Food inspector vs health inspector

The differences between food inspectors and health inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a food inspector, becoming a health inspector takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a health inspector has an average salary of $47,982, which is higher than the $43,824 average annual salary of a food inspector.

The top three skills for a food inspector include food handling, federal laws and food preparation. The most important skills for a health inspector are home health, food establishments, and regulatory compliance.

Food inspector vs health inspector overview

	Food Inspector	Health Inspector
Yearly salary	$43,824	$47,982
Hourly rate	$21.07	$23.07
Growth rate	-3%	6%
Number of jobs	64,809	63,837
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	50	45
Years of experience	2	6

Food inspector vs health inspector salary

Food inspectors and health inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Food Inspector	Health Inspector
Average salary	$43,824	$47,982
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $70,000	Between $32,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Harrisburg, PA	-
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	-
Best paying company	Office of Human Services	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between food inspector and health inspector education

There are a few differences between a food inspector and a health inspector in terms of educational background:

	Food Inspector	Health Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Public Health
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Food inspector vs health inspector demographics

Here are the differences between food inspectors' and health inspectors' demographics:

	Food Inspector	Health Inspector
Average age	50	45
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 50.1% Female, 49.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 20.9% Asian, 5.5% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 5.8% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	7%

Differences between food inspector and health inspector duties and responsibilities

Food inspector example responsibilities.

Provide education to plant management and employees in regard to federal regulations, HACCP and SSOP.
Perform health and safety verification sampling and tests for detection of specific microbes, residues or contaminants.
Identify and document deviations from plant's written procedures outline in HACCP and SSOP plans to ensure compliance with federal regulations.
Perform CSI duties as needed.
Report information from inspection shifts to plant DVM.
Have knowledge of FSIS procedures and can adapt to current procedures

Health inspector example responsibilities.

Manage organization's injury/illness recordkeeping and handle worker's compensation claims.
Ensure compliance of HACCP regulations.
Experience in Medicare surveys of end stage renal disease facilities.
Review and evaluates documents, licensure applications and site plans/drawings for compliance.
Assist in licensing and review of HACCP plans to meet codes and laws.
Train managers to edit and audit their employees' time for payroll processing.

Food inspector vs health inspector skills

Common food inspector skills

Food Handling, 31%
Federal Laws, 15%
Food Preparation, 14%
Sanitation Procedures, 10%
Human Consumption, 6%
Food Animals, 3%

Common health inspector skills

Home Health, 20%
Food Establishments, 9%
Regulatory Compliance, 8%
Health Care Facilities, 6%
State Regulations, 6%
Medicare, 5%