Food inspector vs route inspector

The differences between food inspectors and route inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a food inspector and a route inspector. Additionally, a route inspector has an average salary of $46,172, which is higher than the $43,824 average annual salary of a food inspector.

Food inspector vs route inspector overview

	Food Inspector	Route Inspector
Yearly salary	$43,824	$46,172
Hourly rate	$21.07	$22.20
Growth rate	-3%	-
Number of jobs	64,809	22,880
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

Food inspector vs route inspector salary

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

	Food Inspector	Route Inspector
Average salary	$43,824	$46,172
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $70,000	Between $25,000 And $84,000
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 route inspector education

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

	Food Inspector	Route Inspector
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Florida

Food inspector vs route inspector demographics

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

	Food Inspector	Route Inspector
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%	Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4%
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, 12.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 63.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between food inspector and route 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

Route inspector example responsibilities.

Catalogue trees within the city using Ipad version of ArcMap.
Conduct entomological surveys for various species across Nevada utilizing various technologies including GPS and PDA data gathering techniques.
Conduct entomological surveys for various species across Nevada utilizing various technologies including GPS and PDA data gathering techniques.

Food inspector vs route 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 route inspector skills

Food Inspector vs. similar jobs

Food Inspector related careers

Food Inspector related jobs

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Updated January 8, 2025

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