Salary guide, May 2025
Quality Inspector pay in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ was $50,160 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $41,120 and $62,720.
The Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median is $1,590 above the national median of $48,570, both from BLS May 2025.
BLS publishes the wider New York-Newark-Jersey City metro, not Northern New Jersey separately.
Direct match · SOC 51-9061 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
Quality Inspector is shown within the broader published occupation. BLS does not separate this plant-specific title, seniority, shift, process or credential. Compare the duties with the SOC definition before using the range.
What should you know about northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $36,550 | $41,120 | $50,160 | $62,720 | $78,510 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.57 | $19.77 | $24.12 | $30.15 | $37.74 |
BLS estimated 16,370 workers employed in this occupation in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Location quotient: 0.45.
What should you know about united States?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,510 | $39,890 | $48,570 | $61,440 | $77,860 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.07 | $19.18 | $23.35 | $29.54 | $37.44 |
What should you know about role pay against all occupations here?
The published Quality Inspector median is $50,160. The all-occupations median in Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ is $61,430. Ratio: 0.82 (role median divided by all-occupations median, same units, BLS May 2025). Location quotient 0.45 measures how concentrated this occupation's employment is here against the nation. It is not a wage index.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $39,870 | $49,620 | $62,400 |
| May 2025 | $41,120 | $50,160 | $62,720 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-9061 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-9061 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
What should you know about nearby areas?
| Area | Median | 25th to 75th |
|---|---|---|
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $55,540 | $45,220 to $78,290 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $48,990 | $41,170 to $62,240 |
What does this data mean for your opening?
Quality Inspectors in Northern New Jersey operate within the broader SOC 51-9061 category. BLS data for this metro shows a median annual salary of $50,160. The middle band width for this specific regional role sits at $21,600, calculated as the difference between the P75 of $62,720 and the P25 of $41,120.
Manufacturing Headhunters observes that these figures exclude non-wage items like shift differentials, production bonuses, and specialized certification premiums that often characterize industrial compensation.
National manufacturing industry benchmarks show significantly higher medians for related sectors, such as Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing at $74,450, Motor Vehicle Manufacturing at $73,310, and Ship and Boat Building at $64,560. These national rows highlight the variance in valuation for inspection work depending on the end-market complexity and precision requirements. The national occupation-wide median for all inspectors is $48,570, which is lower than the Northern New Jersey metro median. The local location quotient of 0.45 indicates a lower relative concentration of these roles compared to the national average, though this measure does not reflect labor supply or local hiring competition.
Comparing the local market against specified metros, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT area reports a higher median of $55,540, while the Trenton-Princeton, NJ metro reports a lower median of $48,990. The middle band width in Bridgeport is $33,070, indicating a wider spread of compensation levels than the $21,070 observed in Trenton. These differences stem from the specific industries and manufacturing densities present in each local labor market. The BLS data for Northern New Jersey covers a wide range of inspection, testing, and sorting duties, meaning plant-level requirements for prints, GD&T, or specific gauging skills are averaged into these figures rather than reported separately.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
How does the local median compare to the national occupation average?
The Northern New Jersey median of $50,160 is higher than the national occupation-wide median of $48,570. This gap reflects regional economic factors rather than specific inspector skill variations.
Does the published middle band width include benefits or bonuses?
No, the middle band width of $21,600 is derived solely from base annual wage percentiles. BLS methodology excludes variable pay components such as bonuses and benefits packages.
Why are national industry medians like Aerospace listed for this role?
These national industry rows provide context for how high-precision sectors value inspection tasks relative to the general occupation median. They are not direct local pay data for the specific metro area.
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