1. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
What is a Quality Control Operator?
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.
Quality Control Operator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a quality control operator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as machine operator, progress to a title such as technician and then eventually end up with the title operations manager.
Quality Control Operator
Operations Manager
7 Years
Information Technology Manager
7 Years
Operations Director
9 Years
Area Manager
7 Years
Warehouse Manager
5 Years
Plant Manager
11 Years
Show More
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
What Am I Worth?
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
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 4,913 | $42,103 |
| 2 | Texas | 2,405 | $33,755 |
| 3 | Florida | 1,910 | $33,420 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 1,775 | $38,034 |
| 5 | Illinois | 1,687 | $32,692 |
| 6 | New Jersey | 1,637 | $28,894 |
| 7 | Maryland | 1,627 | $39,453 |
| 8 | Georgia | 1,623 | $31,829 |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 1,528 | $31,461 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 1,513 | $40,835 |
| 11 | Ohio | 1,474 | $28,828 |
| 12 | New York | 1,346 | $37,247 |
| 13 | Indiana | 1,284 | $33,937 |
| 14 | Virginia | 1,147 | $32,624 |
| 15 | Minnesota | 1,105 | $34,515 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | 1,086 | $31,956 |
| 17 | Michigan | 1,066 | $30,674 |
| 18 | Washington | 869 | $43,368 |
| 19 | Tennessee | 813 | $29,953 |
| 20 | Arizona | 721 | $29,598 |
| 21 | Colorado | 701 | $31,333 |
| 22 | Missouri | 628 | $30,750 |
| 23 | South Carolina | 626 | $31,962 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 600 | $32,169 |
| 25 | Alabama | 596 | $31,767 |
| 26 | Utah | 575 | $30,430 |
| 27 | Iowa | 546 | $31,675 |
| 28 | Connecticut | 526 | $40,531 |
| 29 | Oregon | 477 | $29,766 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | 364 | $37,412 |
| 31 | Kansas | 361 | $34,849 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 307 | $32,864 |
| 33 | Mississippi | 292 | $25,353 |
| 34 | Nebraska | 267 | $33,890 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | 264 | $36,873 |
| 36 | Louisiana | 245 | $32,967 |
| 37 | Nevada | 225 | $24,972 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | 223 | $33,485 |
| 39 | Idaho | 188 | $38,333 |
| 40 | Hawaii | 174 | $38,054 |
| 41 | Delaware | 168 | $24,486 |
| 42 | Alaska | 166 | $29,251 |
| 43 | New Mexico | 155 | $34,111 |
| 44 | Maine | 144 | $38,171 |
| 45 | West Virginia | 119 | $28,642 |
| 46 | South Dakota | 99 | $33,642 |
| 47 | North Dakota | 90 | $40,529 |
| 48 | Vermont | 88 | $37,752 |
| 49 | Montana | 87 | $34,294 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 65 | $34,279 |
Top Colleges for Quality Control Operators
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.
Quality Control Operator diversity
Quality Control Operator Gender Distribution
Male
61%
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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How Do Quality Control Operators Rate Their Jobs?
Top Quality Control Operator Employers
Most Common Employers For Quality Control Operator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IBM | $61,009 | $29.33 | 5 |
| 2 | $53,706 | $25.82 | 63 | |
| 3 | General Electric | $43,266 | $20.80 | 7 |
| 4 | Pfizer | $42,528 | $20.45 | 5 |
| 5 | Alliance One International | $40,016 | $19.24 | 16 |
| 6 | Green Mountain Coffee Roasters | $38,704 | $18.61 | 7 |
| 7 | Shaw Industries | $38,569 | $18.54 | 6 |
| 8 | Chevron | $38,244 | $18.39 | 5 |
| 9 | General Motors | $37,881 | $18.21 | 8 |
| 10 | Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | $37,564 | $18.06 | 16 |
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