Inspector vs lead inspector

The differences between inspectors and lead inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead inspector has an average salary of $51,148, which is higher than the $38,757 average annual salary of an inspector.

The top three skills for an inspector include sketch, good communication and magnetic particle. The most important skills for a lead inspector are NDT, API, and NDE.

Inspector vs lead inspector overview

	Inspector	Lead Inspector
Yearly salary	$38,757	$51,148
Hourly rate	$18.63	$24.59
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	17,670	17,734
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Inspector vs lead inspector salary

Inspectors and lead inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Inspector	Lead Inspector
Average salary	$38,757	$51,148
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $54,000	Between $35,000 And $73,000
Highest paying City	Vancouver, WA	West Hartford, CT
Highest paying state	Louisiana	Connecticut
Best paying company	Los Alamos National Laboratory	Parsons
Best paying industry	Automotive	Energy

Differences between inspector and lead inspector education

There are a few differences between an inspector and a lead inspector in terms of educational background:

	Inspector	Lead Inspector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 30%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Inspector vs lead inspector demographics

Here are the differences between inspectors' and lead inspectors' demographics:

	Inspector	Lead Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3%	Male, 76.9% Female, 23.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 8.1% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 7.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between inspector and lead inspector duties and responsibilities

Inspector example responsibilities.

Follow all regulations including OSHA, safety, PPE, JSA and ISO.
Deliver thorough QA testing reports that determine product quality and release readiness.
Operate and maintain laboratory testing equipment; micrometers, calipers and air gauges to analyze material for conformance to product specifications.
Utilize maps and GPS and markers when need
Require knowledge of all safety measures and JSA's.
Shovel inspector for two 2300 MKII's and 7495 CAT/Bucyrus shovels.

Lead inspector example responsibilities.

Manage survey crews on prelim route survey, and HDD core sample crews.
Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Authore numerous new corporate NDT procedures, update procedures and administer all NDE corporate activities.
Comply with all AS9100 and NADCAP requirements.
Inspect articles to correct design, tooling and jigs.
Total of 7 HDD crossings and 2 major highway crossings.

Inspector vs lead inspector skills

Common inspector skills

Sketch, 7%
Good Communication, 7%
Magnetic Particle, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Calipers, 6%
Safety Standards, 5%

Common lead inspector skills

NDT, 7%
API, 6%
NDE, 5%
Inspection Reports, 5%
III, 5%
Corrective Action, 4%