Post job

Quality inspector salary

Average quality inspector salary

$15.96

$33,197 yearly

Entry-level quality inspector salary
$25,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Quality Inspector Salaries

A Quality Inspector ensures that products meet specified standards of quality and safety. As of October 2025, the average salary for a Quality Inspector is approximately $33,197 annually, translating to around $16 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For example, Quality Inspectors in states like California and Texas tend to earn higher wages due to the cost of living and demand for skilled labor.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry-level Quality Inspectors typically earn less than their more experienced counterparts. Those with several years in the field often see salary increases, reflecting their expertise and value to employers. A Quality Inspector with five or more years of experience might earn upwards of $40,000 per year, depending on the industry and specific job responsibilities.

Career Opportunities

There are various opportunities for Quality Inspectors in sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, and food services. As industries continue to prioritize quality assurance, the demand for skilled Quality Inspectors is expected to rise. This trend highlights the importance of ongoing training and certification to enhance employability and salary potential.

On this page
Quality inspector salary by: 

Let Zippia find your next quality inspector job

Floating question marks illustration

Let Zippia find your next quality inspector job

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Quality Inspector earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
59k
39k
19k
-1k
Columbus, OH$42,654
Saint Petersburg, FL$28,826
Compare salary by company
Vs
74k
54k
34k
14k
Nabors Industries$51,561
Sanmina$43,716

Quality inspector salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level quality inspector$19,700$9.46
Mid-level quality inspector$31,400$15.09
Senior-level quality inspector$41,500$19.94

Quality inspector salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a quality inspector typically falls between $33,197 and $58,955.
zippia
$33,197yearly
glassdoor[1]
$43,778yearly
comparably[2]
$58,955yearly
Salary.com[3]
$37,696yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$43,827yearly

Average quality inspector salary by state

The highest-paying states for quality inspectors are Washington, Alaska, and Montana. The lowest average quality inspector salary states are Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for quality inspectors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Minnesota$42,667$20.51
2Washington$51,367$24.70
3Utah$38,331$18.43
4North Dakota$43,422$20.88
5Oregon$41,710$20.05
6Nebraska$42,037$20.21
7Montana$44,016$21.16
8California$39,882$19.17
9Idaho$39,343$18.91
10Maryland$37,689$18.12
11South Dakota$41,146$19.78
12Colorado$39,482$18.98
13New Hampshire$35,549$17.09
14Connecticut$38,012$18.27
15Rhode Island$36,457$17.53
16Alaska$44,017$21.16
17Nevada$36,887$17.73
18Arizona$38,191$18.36
19Vermont$35,814$17.22
20Maine$35,155$16.90
21Wisconsin$35,944$17.28
22Wyoming$37,053$17.81
23Iowa$36,697$17.64
24Massachusetts$38,969$18.74
25New Mexico$36,581$17.59
26Louisiana$36,969$17.77
27Kansas$35,176$16.91
28New Jersey$32,988$15.86
29Ohio$30,909$14.86
30Texas$31,361$15.08
31Oklahoma$34,737$16.70
32Illinois$33,469$16.09
33Indiana$29,360$14.12
34Missouri$33,410$16.06
35New York$33,797$16.25
36Pennsylvania$30,053$14.45
37Kentucky$29,304$14.09
38North Carolina$27,308$13.13
39Delaware$30,379$14.61
40Michigan$29,594$14.23
41Hawaii$33,103$15.91
42Virginia$29,620$14.24
43Georgia$27,550$13.25
44South Carolina$26,175$12.58
45West Virginia$29,223$14.05
46Arkansas$29,177$14.03
47Tennessee$26,257$12.62
48Florida$28,526$13.71
49District of Columbia$32,456$15.60
50Mississippi$25,477$12.25
51Alabama$25,538$12.28

Highest paying cities for quality inspectors

The highest-paying cities for quality inspectors are Minneapolis, MN, Fremont, CA, and Longmont, CO.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Minneapolis, MN$42,654$20.51
2Fremont, CA$40,804$19.62
3Longmont, CO$39,768$19.12
4Peabody, MA$39,066$18.78
5Salt Lake City, UT$38,350$18.44
6Phoenix, AZ$38,250$18.39
7Clinton, IA$36,101$17.36
8Rochester, NY$35,675$17.15
9Rochester, NH$35,581$17.11
10Milwaukee, WI$35,580$17.11
11Wichita, KS$35,110$16.88
12Kansas City, MO$34,255$16.47
13Chicago, IL$33,569$16.14
14Toledo, OH$32,099$15.43
15San Antonio, TX$31,568$15.18
16Erie, PA$31,446$15.12
17Grand Rapids, MI$30,220$14.53
18Fort Wayne, IN$29,855$14.35
19Florence, KY$29,524$14.19
20Saint Petersburg, FL$28,826$13.86

Quality Inspectors are the most in-demand in these five cities:

  1. Minneapolis, MN
  2. Fremont, CA
  3. Longmont, CO
  4. Peabody, MA
  5. Salt Lake City, UT

Quality inspector salary details

A quality inspector's salary ranges from $25,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $42,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average quality inspector salary graph
Average quality inspector salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a quality inspector's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20
75th Percentile$37,000$3,083$18
Average$33,197$2,766$16
25th Percentile$29,000$2,417$14
10th Percentile$25,000$2,083$12

Highest paying quality inspector jobs

The highest paying types of quality inspectors are quality lead, senior inspector, and lead inspector.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Quality Laboratory Technician$38,902$3,242$18.70104,887
Quality Assurance Technician$40,027$3,336$19.2481,534
Quality Control Technician$40,337$3,361$19.3998,407
Inspector General$48,026$4,002$23.0958,208
Quality Technician$37,007$3,084$17.7980,291
Quality Lead$90,301$7,525$43.4162,018

Top companies hiring quality inspectors now:

  1. Medtronic jobs (75)
  2. Matrix Service Company jobs (74)
  3. General Motors jobs (96)
  4. Boeing jobs (148)
  5. MSI jobs (63)

Which companies pay quality inspectors the most?

Quality inspector salaries at Nabors Industries and BD are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average quality inspector salary at companies like Alere and Teleflex are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Nabors Industries$51,561$24.79
2BD$50,181$24.13
3Alere$48,999$23.56
4Teleflex$48,991$23.55
5Schneider Electric Industrial Services$48,817$23.47
6Integra LifeSciences$48,811$23.47
7AtriCure$48,258$23.20
8Cook Children's Medical Center$47,628$22.90
9LeMaitre$47,585$22.88
10TPI Composites$46,186$22.20
11Baker Hughes$45,781$22.01
12FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA$45,731$21.99
13Smiths Group$45,627$21.94
14Hendrick Manufacturing$45,472$21.86
15Astronics$44,945$21.61
16rms$44,615$21.45
17TransMedics$44,487$21.39
18Fluid Components International$44,008$21.16
19General Electric$43,772$21.04
20Sanmina$43,716$21.02

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$37,000$36,200$35,400$34,600$33,800$33,000
MaleFemale

Quality Inspector salary by industry

The average quality inspector salary varies across industries:

  • The average quality inspector salary in the health care industry is $39,397, the highest of any industry.
  • The average quality inspector salary in the finance industry is $38,023.
  • Quality inspectors in the professional industry earn an average salary of $34,360, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for quality inspectors

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Health Care$39,397$18.94
2Automotive$38,023$18.28
3Technology$37,398$17.98
4Transportation$35,279$16.96
5Manufacturing$34,761$16.71
6Professional$34,360$16.52

High paying quality inspector jobs

Quality inspector salary trends

The average quality inspector salary has risen by $5,267 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average quality inspector earned $27,930 annually, but today, they earn $33,197 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for quality inspectors over the last decade.

Compare quality inspector salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average quality inspector salary over time

Compare quality inspector salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Quality inspector salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$33,200$15.96+3.3%
2024$32,100$15.44+2.3%
2023$31,400$15.09+2.4%
2022$30,600$14.73+1.5%
2021$30,200$14.51+2.1%

Recently added quality inspector salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Printpack HoldingsQuality Inspector-3Rd ShiftWilliamsburg, VA06/30/2025$35,896
Ultra ElectronicsQuality InspectorYaphank, NY06/30/2025$47,500
PeoplereadyQuality InspectorGuaynabo, PR06/30/2025$27,131
CccQuality InspectorOil City, PA06/30/2025$34,227
AllegionQuality Inspectors-1St. ShiftCincinnati, OH06/30/2025$51,445
AllegionQuality InspectorHope, IN06/30/2025$39,653
Abbott LaboratoriesQuality InspectorSanta Clara, CA06/29/2025$39,340
RelativityQuality Inspector II, Production Floor (2ND Shift)Long Beach, CA06/29/2025$56,349
Stratosphere QualityQuality Inspector-2Nd Shift AnnaAnna, OH06/29/2025$35,479
Stratosphere QualityQuality InspectorDanville, IL06/29/2025$35,479

Quality inspector salary FAQs

Search for quality inspector jobs

Browse production and manufacturing jobs