Salary guide, May 2025
Quality Technician pay in Raleigh-Cary, NC
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 Raleigh-Cary, NC was $49,460 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $44,150 and $59,610.
The Raleigh-Cary, NC median is $890 above the national median of $48,570, both from BLS May 2025.
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 raleigh-Cary, NC?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $36,470 | $44,150 | $49,460 | $59,610 | $75,560 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $17.54 | $21.23 | $23.78 | $28.66 | $36.33 |
BLS estimated 1,420 workers employed in this occupation in Raleigh-Cary, NC. Location quotient: 0.5.
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 $49,460. The all-occupations median in Raleigh-Cary, NC is $51,990. Ratio: 0.95 (role median divided by all-occupations median, same units, BLS May 2025). Location quotient 0.5 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 | $38,780 | $47,490 | $59,380 |
| May 2025 | $44,150 | $49,460 | $59,610 |
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, Raleigh-Cary, NC. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Goldsboro, NC | $37,080 | $36,700 to $45,560 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | $49,660 | $41,780 to $60,710 |
What does this data mean for your opening?
In the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro, Quality Technicians earn a median annual salary of $49,460. This figure marks an increase of $1,970 over the previous May 2024 median of $47,490. The middle band width for this metro is $15,460, determined by the P75 of $59,610 and P25 of $44,150.
Manufacturing Headhunters notes that these figures represent base wages and omit standard industrial incentives like shift differentials, production bonuses, and specialized technical certification pay.
National industry wage data provides context for specialized manufacturing roles. These figures are higher than the national occupation-wide median of $48,570. The local location quotient for this role in Raleigh is 0.5, indicating a lower density of this occupation in the regional economy relative to the national average. This metric reflects the structural composition of the local manufacturing economy.
Comparing Raleigh to nearby markets shows distinct compensation differences. The Goldsboro, NC market reports a lower median of $37,080, while the Rocky Mount, NC market reports a median of $49,660. The middle band width in Rocky Mount is $18,930, which is wider than the $8,860 band in Goldsboro. These variations illustrate how different local manufacturing bases influence pay. Because the BLS maps these roles to the broad SOC 51-9061 classification, the data merges all inspection tasks from sorting to advanced testing, meaning it does not isolate specific shop-floor duties like SPC or nonconformance management into separate wage categories.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
Is the median change in Raleigh higher than the national change?
Yes, the Raleigh median increased by $1,970, which exceeds the national occupational median change of $1,110 from May 2024 to May 2025.
What does the middle band width tell us about Raleigh?
The $15,460 band indicates the range between the 25th and 75th percentiles of pay. It reflects the local dispersion of wages within the broader inspector occupational category.
Are the national industry rows indicative of local wage competition?
No, the national rows demonstrate industry-specific wage benchmarks. They provide a high-level view of how sectors like Aerospace value inspection work compared to the broader labor market.
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