Salary guide, May 2025
Quality Technician 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.
Broader occupation · SOC 51-9061 Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers
The Quality Technician title maps to the published occupation. BLS does not separate this process, credential, shift or plant-specific title from other work in the occupation.
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 Technician 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 Technicians in the Northern New Jersey area operate within the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro classification. The current median annual salary is $50,160, reflecting an increase of $540 from the May 2024 median of $49,620. The middle band width is $21,600, defined by the P75 of $62,720 and the P25 of $41,120.
Manufacturing Headhunters notes that these figures reflect base wages and do not capture typical industrial compensation components such as production bonuses, shift premiums, or premiums for specific manufacturing certifications.
National manufacturing sector benchmarks illustrate how sector complexity influences pay. Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing has a national median of $74,450, Motor Vehicle Manufacturing is $73,310, and Ship and Boat Building is $64,560. These figures are higher than the national occupational median of $48,570. The local location quotient of 0.45 reflects the regional concentration of inspection-related roles. This metric provides insight into the industrial mix rather than local hiring difficulty or labor supply levels.
Evaluating the regional market against surrounding metros, the Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT area reports a higher median of $55,540, whereas the Trenton-Princeton, NJ market reports a lower median of $48,990. The middle band width in Bridgeport is $33,070, which is broader than the $21,070 width in Trenton. These differences stem from varying manufacturing bases in each location. Because the BLS maps these technicians to the broader SOC 51-9061 classification, the data merges all inspection tasks, from simple sorting to precision testing. There is no distinction made for specific technician duties or the use of advanced equipment like optical comparators in these aggregated salary statistics.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
How does the median change compare to the national average?
The Northern New Jersey area saw a median increase of $540 from May 2024 to May 2025. This is lower than the national occupational median increase of $1,110.
What is the difference between middle band width and median pay?
The median ($50,160) is the midpoint of pay, while the middle band width ($21,600) represents the range between the 25th and 75th percentiles of local compensation.
Does the 0.45 location quotient imply low worker availability?
No, the location quotient measures employment concentration in the metro. It does not reflect worker availability or the ease of finding qualified candidates for specific roles.
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