There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a quality control operator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $16.77 an hour? That's $34,879 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -1% and produce -500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does a Quality Control Operator Do

There are certain skills that many quality control operators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and detail oriented.

How To Become a Quality Control Operator

If you're interested in becoming a quality control operator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 30.9% of quality control operators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 2.9% of quality control operators have master's degrees. Even though some quality control operators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Quality Control Operator

Quality Control Operator Career Paths

Average Salary for a Quality Control Operator

Quality Control Operators in America make an average salary of $34,879 per year or $17 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $46,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $26,000 per year.
Average Quality Control Operator Salary
$34,879 Yearly
$16.77 hourly

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Roles and Types of Quality Control Operator

There are several types of quality control operator, including:

Operator

Role:

As an operator, it's your job to know how specific equipment or machines work. You should know how to install and repair certain machinery as well as knowing how to use tools to help with the manufacturing process.

Operators often spend their time checking in on equipment and making sure it's properly working. Every problem that is detected, you'll often call upon an operators to come and save the day. They're essentially the superhero in an office setting.

In most cases, operators work full-time, normal hours. But when a client needs help, you'll need to be available. which means that sometimes duty calls at night or on the weekends.

  • Average Salary: $37,928
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Quality Control Inspector

Role:

Quality Control Inspectors are in charge of looking for defects in product specifications. While that may sound like it requires schooling, you really only need a high school degree because you'll go through on-the-job training, which will tell you everything you need to know.

Things may get a little dusty on the job. So you might want to invest in a good pair of goggles to wear. Maybe even a mask to cover your nose and mouth. There's no sense in covering your lungs in a layer of dust after all.

Speaking about being on the job, you'll most likely work in a manufacturing plant. The work environments are known to be a little loud, so maybe you want to bring some ear plugs as well. You know what? Just to be safe, you might just want to put yourself in a bubble. At least, that way you'll never get hurt, right?

  • Average Salary: $35,018
  • Degree: High School Diploma

Quality Inspector

Role:

This job seems pretty self-explanatory. I mean you are literally inspecting the quality of a product or material. While that's the case, there are some other duties you'll have as well.

Quality inspectors take a lot of time to conduct tests on certain products to make sure they're up to the task they were built for. Then they take the measurements into account to ensure the product has been measured properly.

Quite generally, quality inspectors will work along an assembly line or within a production department. That way they can take their measurements and conduct tests while a product is being built. Sometimes you'll find a product that just doesn't make the cut.

  • Average Salary: $33,197
  • Degree: High School Diploma

States With The Most Quality Control Operator Jobs

Number Of Quality Control Operator Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,913$42,103
2Texas2,405$33,755
3Florida1,910$33,420
4Massachusetts1,775$38,034
5Illinois1,687$32,692
6New Jersey1,637$28,894
7Maryland1,627$39,453
8Georgia1,623$31,829
9Pennsylvania1,528$31,461
10North Carolina1,513$40,835
11Ohio1,474$28,828
12New York1,346$37,247
13Indiana1,284$33,937
14Virginia1,147$32,624
15Minnesota1,105$34,515
16Wisconsin1,086$31,956
17Michigan1,066$30,674
18Washington869$43,368
19Tennessee813$29,953
20Arizona721$29,598
21Colorado701$31,333
22Missouri628$30,750
23South Carolina626$31,962
24Kentucky600$32,169
25Alabama596$31,767
26Utah575$30,430
27Iowa546$31,675
28Connecticut526$40,531
29Oregon477$29,766
30New Hampshire364$37,412
31Kansas361$34,849
32Arkansas307$32,864
33Mississippi292$25,353
34Nebraska267$33,890
35Rhode Island264$36,873
36Louisiana245$32,967
37Nevada225$24,972
38Oklahoma223$33,485
39Idaho188$38,333
40Hawaii174$38,054
41Delaware168$24,486
42Alaska166$29,251
43New Mexico155$34,111
44Maine144$38,171
45West Virginia119$28,642
46South Dakota99$33,642
47North Dakota90$40,529
48Vermont88$37,752
49Montana87$34,294
50Wyoming65$34,279

Quality Control Operator Education

Quality Control Operator Majors

25.9 %

Quality Control Operator Degrees

High School Diploma

32.7 %

Bachelors

30.9 %

Associate

18.9 %

Top Colleges for Quality Control Operators

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Maine Maritime Academy

Castine, ME • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,478

Enrollment

979

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

7. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

8. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

9. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

10. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

Top Skills For a Quality Control Operator

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 22.3% of quality control operators listed quality checks on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Quality Control Operator Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Quality Control Operator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Quality Control Operator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Quality Control Operator diversity

Quality Control Operator Gender Distribution

Male
Male
61%
Female
Female
39%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among quality control operators, 39.3% of them are women, while 60.7% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among quality control operators is White, which makes up 56.2% of all quality control operators.

  • The most common foreign language among quality control operators is Spanish at 54.3%.

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Top Quality Control Operator Employers

Most Common Employers For Quality Control Operator

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1IBM$61,009$29.335
2Google$53,706$25.8263
3General Electric$43,266$20.807
4Pfizer$42,528$20.455
5Alliance One International$40,016$19.2416
6Green Mountain Coffee Roasters$38,704$18.617
7Shaw Industries$38,569$18.546
8Chevron$38,244$18.395
9General Motors$37,881$18.218
10Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.$37,564$18.0616

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