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The differences between quality controls 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 $32,824 average annual salary of a quality control.
The top three skills for a quality control include quality checks, product quality and safety standards. The most important skills for a quality assurance inspector are calipers, micrometers, and corrective action.
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $32,824 | $36,842 |
| Hourly rate | $15.78 | $17.71 |
| Growth rate | 3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 83,496 | 74,410 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Average age | 38 | 45 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
As the name entails, the job of a quality control inspector is to inspect, maintain, and improve the quality and standard of products. They are responsible for ensuring the company's reputation is not damaged due to defective products or inferior manufacturing processes. This can be done by detecting and resolving the problem early on, and returning the product for repair. A quality control inspector should also notify the supervisors immediately when issues arise and coordinate with them to address the problem.
Quality Assurance Auditors are employees who ensure the adherence of other employees to company processes and guidelines. They are expected to be experts on quality assurance processes and procedures. They also have in-depth knowledge of the expected outcomes of such processes to ensure that the company only provides quality products and services. Quality assurance auditors are also familiar with regulatory laws and policies of governing bodies that oversee companies in their particular industry. They ensure that their companies are compliant and may conduct random quality checks every now and then.
Quality controls and quality assurance inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Inspector | |
| Average salary | $32,824 | $36,842 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $45,000 | Between $27,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | Renton, WA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | Washington |
| Best paying company | BD | Los Alamos National Laboratory |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Government |
There are a few differences between a quality control and a quality assurance inspector in terms of educational background:
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Inspector | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 34% | Bachelor's Degree, 34% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | - |
Here are the differences between quality controls' and quality assurance inspectors' demographics:
| Quality Control | Quality Assurance Inspector | |
| Average age | 38 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.5% Female, 45.5% | Male, 71.7% Female, 28.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | 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 | 8% | 4% |