Process inspector vs quality assurance inspector

The differences between process inspectors and quality assurance inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality assurance inspector has an average salary of $36,842, which is higher than the $32,530 average annual salary of a process inspector.

The top three skills for a process inspector include calipers, micrometers and aerospace. The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.

Process inspector vs quality assurance inspector overview

	Process Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Yearly salary	$32,530	$36,842
Hourly rate	$15.64	$17.71
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	39,063	74,410
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	-	-

Process inspector vs quality assurance inspector salary

Process inspectors and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Process Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average salary	$32,530	$36,842
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $41,000	Between $27,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	-	Renton, WA
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Los Alamos National Laboratory
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between process inspector and quality assurance inspector education

There are a few differences between a process inspector and a quality assurance inspector in terms of educational background:

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

Process inspector vs quality assurance inspector demographics

Here are the differences between process inspectors' and quality assurance inspectors' demographics:

	Process Inspector	Quality Assurance Inspector
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%	Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.5% Asian, 9.2% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 21.2% Asian, 9.1% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	4%	4%

Differences between process inspector and quality assurance inspector duties and responsibilities

Process inspector example responsibilities.

Follow FDA ISO standards require for medical products.
File and maintain inspection records and QA documents.
Perform internal audits yearly with continuous training to ISO standards.
Work in inspection and QA department for properties of emulsions on paper and film.
Evaluate CMM reports and draw accurate conclusions to further assist machine shop and maintain customer satisfaction.
Prepare non-conformance reports with accurate document data for non- conforming materials for evaluation and disposition.

Quality assurance inspector example responsibilities.

Coordinate joint surveys with SATORP inspectors and manage clearance of all issue active LBE and NCR.
Work with IPC and ISO regulations.
Examine parts for damage or excessive wear using micrometers and gauges and other specialize test equipment.
Measure dimensions of products to verify conformance to specifications, using measuring instruments such as rulers, calipers or micrometers.
Inspect and measure surgical steel medical devices for critical dimensions, checking tolerance using micrometers and calipers reading from blueprint designs.
Qualify coating systems and painters to ASTM standards.

Process inspector vs quality assurance inspector skills

Common process inspector skills

Calipers, 14%
Micrometers, 11%
Aerospace, 7%
IPC, 6%
Test Equipment, 5%
Lean Manufacturing, 3%

Common quality assurance inspector skills

Calipers, 7%
Micrometers, 6%
Corrective Action, 5%
Safety Standards, 5%
Inspection Reports, 4%
Quality Standards, 4%

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Process Inspector
Process Inspector vs Quality Assurance Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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