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The differences between inspectors and senior inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior inspector has an average salary of $53,511, 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 senior inspector are asphalt, traffic control, and construction inspection.
| Inspector | Senior Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $38,757 | $53,511 |
| Hourly rate | $18.63 | $25.73 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 17,670 | 16,842 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An inspector is responsible for overseeing the overall condition of the site, ensuring that it complies with the safety standards and regulations. Inspectors' duties include monitoring the quality of the materials used, inspecting any defects and discrepancies that might compromise the operations, generating reports to assess the product costing if it meets the budget goals, and utilizing available resources in the market for the highest quality project. An inspector must have excellent decision-making and critical-thinking skills to perform comprehensive actions on risk management and service delivery.
In the manufacturing industry, a senior inspector is responsible for performing quality assurance procedures to ensure that products adhere to the company's standards and regulations. Among their responsibilities include gathering and analyzing data to study product specifications, performing various examinations and product assessments, identifying issues and inconsistencies, and providing advice to staff as needed. Besides conducting regular inspections, they must also produce progress reports, provide technical guidance and support, and develop quality assurance strategies. Moreover, as a senior inspector, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior inspectors while enforcing the company's policies.
Inspectors and senior inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Inspector | Senior Inspector | |
| Average salary | $38,757 | $53,511 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $54,000 | Between $35,000 And $80,000 |
| Highest paying City | Vancouver, WA | Newington, CT |
| Highest paying state | Louisiana | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Los Alamos National Laboratory | PBF Energy |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between an inspector and a senior inspector in terms of educational background:
| Inspector | Senior Inspector | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 37% |
| Most common major | Business | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between inspectors' and senior inspectors' demographics:
| Inspector | Senior Inspector | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.7% Female, 38.3% | Male, 88.6% Female, 11.4% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 54.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |