Quality control operator vs quality inspector

The differences between quality control operators and quality inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a quality control operator has an average salary of $34,879, which is higher than the $33,197 average annual salary of a quality inspector.

The top three skills for a quality control operator include quality checks, machine operators and laboratory equipment. The most important skills for a quality inspector are calipers, micrometers, and quality standards.

Quality control operator vs quality inspector overview

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Inspector
Yearly salary	$34,879	$33,197
Hourly rate	$16.77	$15.96
Growth rate	3%	-3%
Number of jobs	124,546	70,978
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	High School Diploma, 37%
Average age	38	45
Years of experience	-	-

Quality control operator vs quality inspector salary

Quality control operators and quality inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Inspector
Average salary	$34,879	$33,197
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $46,000	Between $25,000 And $42,000
Highest paying City	-	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Nabors Industries
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between quality control operator and quality inspector education

There are a few differences between a quality control operator and a quality inspector in terms of educational background:

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Inspector
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	High School Diploma, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Quality control operator vs quality inspector demographics

Here are the differences between quality control operators' and quality inspectors' demographics:

	Quality Control Operator	Quality Inspector
Average age	38	45
Gender ratio	Male, 60.7% Female, 39.3%	Male, 53.5% Female, 46.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 8.5% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	8%	4%

Differences between quality control operator and quality inspector duties and responsibilities

Quality control operator example responsibilities.

Operate, setup and programme CNC mills & lathes.
Operate CNC machine fabricating parts and inspecting there tolerances.
Inspect pasta products for presence of metal in accordance with GMP standards.
Coordinate ISO, RoHS, FCC/CE, and UL initiatives for engineering department.
Operate CMM as required for first piece, die trials and layout requests.
Implement SPC techniques to analyze CMM reports for analyzing process trends and fluctuations.

Quality inspector example responsibilities.

Task involve use of calipers, optical comparators, volt/ohm meters and curve tracer.
Utilize measuring instruments like calipers, gauges, and micrometers to assure product conformance to customers specifications.
Recycle ESD products as required.
Maintain logs of products as required per AS9100.
Document and inspect for ESD requirements and for proper handling of MSD moisture sensitive devices.
Perform surface plate set-ups, utilizing gage blocks, angle blocks, sine plates and bars.

Quality control operator vs quality inspector skills

Common quality control operator skills

Quality Checks, 22%
Machine Operators, 9%
Laboratory Equipment, 8%
ISO, 6%
Pallet Jack, 6%
Quality Issues, 5%

Common quality inspector skills

Calipers, 9%
Micrometers, 7%
Quality Standards, 6%
Quality Inspection, 6%
Inspection Results, 4%
CMM, 4%

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Quality Control Operator vs Quality Inspector

Updated January 8, 2025

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