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Quality control specialist salary
Average quality control specialist salary
$49,281
Average Quality Control Specialist Salary
The average salary for a Quality Control Specialist in the United States is $49,281 per year. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, professionals in states like California and New York often earn more due to higher living costs and demand for skilled workers.
Highest Paying States
In terms of location, the highest-paying states for Quality Control Specialists include:
- California
- New York
- Texas
- Virginia
- Illinois
These states offer competitive salaries that reflect their local economies. Additionally, Quality Control Specialists employed in industries such as manufacturing and pharmaceuticals may also enjoy higher salaries compared to those in other sectors.
Opportunities for Advancement
As Quality Control Specialists gain experience and potentially pursue certifications, they can enhance their earning potential. Understanding the nuances of salary expectations in this field is essential for making informed career decisions.
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Where can a Quality Control Specialist earn more?
Quality control specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average quality control specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for quality control specialists are Maryland, New York, and Connecticut. The lowest average quality control specialist salary states are Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for quality control specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maryland | $74,731 | $35.93 |
| 2 | North Carolina | $60,138 | $28.91 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $60,859 | $29.26 |
| 4 | Indiana | $56,034 | $26.94 |
| 5 | New York | $66,537 | $31.99 |
| 6 | Virginia | $58,241 | $28.00 |
| 7 | Georgia | $55,150 | $26.51 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $60,263 | $28.97 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $52,904 | $25.43 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $59,208 | $28.47 |
| 11 | California | $52,957 | $25.46 |
| 12 | Vermont | $54,342 | $26.13 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $49,692 | $23.89 |
| 14 | Maine | $55,177 | $26.53 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $59,867 | $28.78 |
| 16 | Michigan | $46,443 | $22.33 |
| 17 | Alabama | $46,980 | $22.59 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $49,653 | $23.87 |
| 19 | Ohio | $49,072 | $23.59 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $45,900 | $22.07 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $48,583 | $23.36 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $47,099 | $22.64 |
| 23 | Idaho | $46,090 | $22.16 |
| 24 | Iowa | $42,736 | $20.55 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $44,595 | $21.44 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $41,946 | $20.17 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $43,468 | $20.90 |
| 28 | Wyoming | $40,884 | $19.66 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $46,662 | $22.43 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $45,892 | $22.06 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $47,238 | $22.71 |
| 32 | Illinois | $44,569 | $21.43 |
| 33 | New Mexico | $45,975 | $22.10 |
| 34 | Kentucky | $41,149 | $19.78 |
| 35 | Florida | $41,993 | $20.19 |
| 36 | Delaware | $40,983 | $19.70 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $44,516 | $21.40 |
| 38 | Washington | $43,110 | $20.73 |
| 39 | Utah | $36,656 | $17.62 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $40,311 | $19.38 |
| 41 | South Dakota | $41,897 | $20.14 |
| 42 | Arizona | $38,659 | $18.59 |
| 43 | Texas | $40,901 | $19.66 |
| 44 | Kansas | $39,262 | $18.88 |
| 45 | Missouri | $39,838 | $19.15 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $35,702 | $17.16 |
| 47 | Montana | $39,254 | $18.87 |
| 48 | Nevada | $33,551 | $16.13 |
| 49 | Colorado | $37,238 | $17.90 |
| 50 | Oregon | $38,976 | $18.74 |
| 51 | Alaska | $33,555 | $16.13 |
Highest paying cities for quality control specialists
The highest-paying cities for quality control specialists are Rockville, MD, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rockville, MD | $74,454 | $35.80 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $66,868 | $32.15 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $60,187 | $28.94 |
| 4 | Charlotte, NC | $58,554 | $28.15 |
| 5 | Atlanta, GA | $54,866 | $26.38 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA | $54,692 | $26.29 |
| 7 | Columbus, OH | $48,606 | $23.37 |
| 8 | Camden, NJ | $47,277 | $22.73 |
| 9 | Erie, PA | $47,240 | $22.71 |
| 10 | Montgomery, AL | $47,103 | $22.65 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $44,918 | $21.60 |
| 12 | Lincoln, NE | $43,390 | $20.86 |
| 13 | Bothell, WA | $43,177 | $20.76 |
| 14 | Oak Ridge, TN | $41,721 | $20.06 |
| 15 | Houston, TX | $41,513 | $19.96 |
| 16 | Jacksonville, FL | $41,346 | $19.88 |
| 17 | Madison, WI | $41,205 | $19.81 |
| 18 | Tucson, AZ | $38,940 | $18.72 |
| 19 | Hillsboro, OR | $38,772 | $18.64 |
| 20 | Grand Junction, CO | $37,875 | $18.21 |
Quality control specialist salary details
A quality control specialist's salary ranges from $32,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $75,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a quality control specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
| 75th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| Average | $49,281 | $4,107 | $24 |
| 25th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
| 10th Percentile | $32,000 | $2,667 | $15 |
Highest paying quality control specialist jobs
The highest paying types of quality control specialists are quality lead, quality control manager, and lead quality control.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Lead | $90,301 | $7,525 | $43.41 | 62,018 |
| Lead Quality Control | $85,375 | $7,115 | $41.05 | 83,633 |
| Quality Control Internship | $35,224 | $2,935 | $16.93 | 127,264 |
| Quality Control Engineer | $70,845 | $5,904 | $34.06 | 109,745 |
| Quality Control Manager | $87,679 | $7,307 | $42.15 | 82,389 |
| Quality Control Coordinator | $49,894 | $4,158 | $23.99 | 88,145 |
Top companies hiring quality control specialists now:
Which companies pay quality control specialists the most?
Quality control specialist salaries at Apple and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality control specialist salary at companies like Varian Medical Systems and Citi are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $105,013 | $50.49 |
| 2 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $100,363 | $48.25 |
| 3 | Varian Medical Systems | $95,663 | $45.99 |
| 4 | Citi | $92,190 | $44.32 |
| 5 | Southern California Edison | $91,670 | $44.07 |
| 6 | Eli Lilly and Company | $85,599 | $41.15 |
| 7 | FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies | $85,417 | $41.07 |
| 8 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $85,328 | $41.02 |
| 9 | AstraZeneca | $84,488 | $40.62 |
| 10 | OraSure Technologies | $83,956 | $40.36 |
| 11 | Regeneron | $82,592 | $39.71 |
| 12 | Synechron | $82,491 | $39.66 |
| 13 | Stanford Health Care | $81,717 | $39.29 |
| 14 | Envestnet | $80,726 | $38.81 |
| 15 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | $80,430 | $38.67 |
| 16 | Axalta | $79,779 | $38.36 |
| 17 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $79,710 | $38.32 |
| 18 | Merck | $79,301 | $38.13 |
| 19 | Entegris | $78,351 | $37.67 |
| 20 | Gilead Sciences | $77,182 | $37.11 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Quality Control Specialist salary by industry
The average quality control specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average quality control specialist salary in the automotive industry is $63,133, the highest of any industry.
- The average quality control specialist salary in the finance industry is $62,224.
- Quality control specialists in the retail industry earn an average salary of $44,039, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for quality control specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $63,133 | $30.35 |
| 2 | Finance | $62,224 | $29.92 |
| 3 | Pharmaceutical | $59,540 | $28.63 |
| 4 | Technology | $52,667 | $25.32 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $50,635 | $24.34 |
| 6 | Health Care | $50,100 | $24.09 |
| 7 | Retail | $44,039 | $21.17 |
High paying quality control specialist jobs
Quality control specialist salary trends
The average quality control specialist salary has risen by $8,774 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality control specialist earned $40,507 annually, but today, they earn $49,281 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for quality control specialists over the last decade.
Compare quality control specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average quality control specialist salary over time
Compare quality control specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Quality control specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $49,300 | $23.69 | +3.6% |
| 2024 | $47,500 | $22.83 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $46,700 | $22.43 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | $45,200 | $21.72 | +4.3% |
| 2021 | $43,300 | $20.79 | +1.6% |
Recently added quality control specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Therapeutics Corporation | Lead Pharmacovigilance QC Specialist | Rex, NC | 06/29/2025 | $128,880 |
| Learning Resources | Quality Control Specialist I | Vernon Hills, IL | 06/29/2025 | $65,000 |
| City National Corporation | Loan Servicing Quality Control Specialist II | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $52,175 |
| Shi International Corp | Integration Center Quality Control Specialist | Piscataway, NJ | 06/28/2025 | $40,000 |
| Shi | Integration Center Quality Control Specialist | Piscataway, NJ | 06/28/2025 | $40,000 |
| Health Care Service | Quality Control Specialist | Richardson, TX | 06/28/2025 | $41,010 |
| Nitelines Usa | Gdot Document Qualiity Control Specialist (766009) | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2025 | $41,740 |
| Kite Pharma | QC Specialist I-Cell Therapy | Santa Monica, CA | 06/28/2025 | $80,325 |
| TD Bank | Quality Controls Specialist | Charlotte, NC | 06/27/2025 | $86,840 |
| TD Bank | Quality Controls Specialist | Hartford, CT | 06/27/2025 | $86,840 |
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