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Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-9061.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
28 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for THERMOMETER TESTER (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| Airplane Inspector | 0004 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| Automobile Repair-Service Estimator | 0638 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| Automobile Tester | 0881 | Competency-Based: 7,328 hours Hybrid: 7,328 to 9,160 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours |
| CABLE TESTER (Tel & Tel) | 0059 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| CALIBRATOR (Military) | 1031 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| Coatings Inspector | 2051 | Competency-Based: 3,032 hours Hybrid: 3,032 to 3,632 hours Time-Based: 3,032 hours |
| COMPLAINT INSPECTOR | 0061 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| DIESEL ENGINE TESTER | 0093 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| ELECTRIC METER TESTER | 0792 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| ELECTRIC-DISTRIBUTION CHECKER | 0905 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| ELECTRONICS TESTER | 0570 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| EXPERIMENTAL ASSEMBLER | 0183 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 8,000 hours |
| GRADER (Woodworking) | 0984 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| HYDROMETER CALIBRATOR | 0239 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| INSPECTOR, ELECTROMECHANIC | 0968 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| INSPECTOR, METAL FABRICATE | 0697 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| INSPECTOR, OUTSIDE PRODUCT | 0380 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| INSPECTOR, PRECISION | 0424 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| INSPECTOR, SET-UP & LAY-OUT (Alternate Title: Senior Noncommissioned Logistician) | 0636 | Competency-Based: 7,328 hours Hybrid: 7,328 to 9,160 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 7,328 hours |
| OPERATIONAL TEST MECHANIC | 0959 | Competency-Based: 6,000 hours Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| Quality Control Inspector | 0936 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| RADIOGRAPHER | 0468 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| RELAY TESTER | 0687 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| RUBBER TESTER | 0429 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| TESTING & REGULATING TECHNICIAN | 0572 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| THERMOMETER TESTER | 0489 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| TROUBLE LOCATOR TEST DESK | 0805 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| X-ray Equipment Tester | 0919 | Competency-Based: 4,000 hours Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers earn, by state
Alaska has the highest state median for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers ($78,150) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($29,870), across the 54 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $78,150 | $37.57 | 300 |
| Washington | $64,420 | $30.97 | 12,010 |
| Maryland | $61,790 | $29.71 | 4,600 |
| Hawaii | $59,740 | $28.72 | 650 |
| District of Columbia | $59,730 | $28.71 | 70 |
| Colorado | $58,350 | $28.06 | 5,220 |
| Montana | $58,070 | $27.92 | 580 |
| Wyoming | $57,900 | $27.84 | 990 |
| Delaware | $57,190 | $27.50 | 1,020 |
| Minnesota | $57,170 | $27.49 | 9,710 |
| Connecticut | $57,090 | $27.45 | 7,460 |
| Rhode Island | $54,940 | $26.41 | 1,790 |
| New Hampshire | $54,800 | $26.35 | 3,050 |
| Missouri | $54,420 | $26.17 | 12,480 |
| California | $54,300 | $26.11 | 61,130 |
| Oregon | $54,120 | $26.02 | 5,690 |
| Kansas | $53,680 | $25.81 | 9,300 |
| Maine | $53,570 | $25.76 | 1,800 |
| Massachusetts | $52,270 | $25.13 | 10,650 |
| Arizona | $52,100 | $25.05 | 11,120 |
| Nebraska | $51,270 | $24.65 | 3,350 |
| North Dakota | $50,820 | $24.43 | 1,800 |
| Iowa | $50,740 | $24.40 | 7,230 |
| New York | $49,990 | $24.03 | 19,790 |
| Oklahoma | $49,630 | $23.86 | 7,430 |
| Wisconsin | $49,610 | $23.85 | 17,670 |
| Virginia | $49,590 | $23.84 | 9,830 |
| New Mexico | $49,500 | $23.80 | 1,550 |
| Louisiana | $49,490 | $23.80 | 8,110 |
| Nevada | $49,280 | $23.69 | 4,040 |
| New Jersey | $49,140 | $23.62 | 12,280 |
| Utah | $48,910 | $23.52 | 6,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $48,320 | $23.23 | 25,870 |
| Illinois | $47,920 | $23.04 | 31,700 |
| Indiana | $47,900 | $23.03 | 24,790 |
| Florida | $47,540 | $22.86 | 22,630 |
| Ohio | $47,360 | $22.77 | 32,060 |
| South Dakota | $47,240 | $22.71 | 1,090 |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | $47,240 | $22.71 | 30 |
| West Virginia | $47,010 | $22.60 | 2,720 |
| South Carolina | $46,890 | $22.54 | 13,360 |
| North Carolina | $46,430 | $22.32 | 19,700 |
| Kentucky | $46,280 | $22.25 | 12,880 |
| Texas | $46,210 | $22.22 | 56,390 |
| Vermont | $46,210 | $22.22 | 900 |
| Georgia | $46,130 | $22.18 | 19,980 |
| Tennessee | $45,760 | $22.00 | 17,140 |
| Idaho | $45,130 | $21.70 | 2,900 |
| Arkansas | $44,570 | $21.43 | 5,880 |
| Michigan | $44,490 | $21.39 | 27,980 |
| Guam | $44,160 | $21.23 | 50 |
| Mississippi | $40,670 | $19.55 | 6,970 |
| Alabama | $40,010 | $19.24 | 13,120 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,870 | $14.36 | 3,870 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).