Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Salary
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Merced, CA make a median of $49,940 a year, or about $24.01 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.28), that's roughly $50,814 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,503/month, about 43.6% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Merced?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Merced’s Regional Price Parity (98.28). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in Merced
Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers pay in Merced tracks closely to the national median, $50K locally vs. $49K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,503/month, which is 44.1% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.28) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers in metros near Merced, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $52K | $45K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $62K | $54K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $60K | $53K |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $47K | $44K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Merced, CA
Entry-level inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $45K spread from bottom to top.
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $78K | +61% | 300 |
| Washington | $64K | +33% | 12,010 |
| Maryland | $62K | +27% | 4,600 |
| Hawaii | $60K | +23% | 650 |
| District of Columbia | $60K | +23% | 70 |
| Colorado | $58K | +20% | 5,220 |
| Montana | $58K | +20% | 580 |
| Wyoming | $58K | +19% | 990 |
| Delaware | $57K | +18% | 1,020 |
| Minnesota | $57K | +18% | 9,710 |
| Connecticut | $57K | +18% | 7,460 |
| Rhode Island | $55K | +13% | 1,790 |
| New Hampshire | $55K | +13% | 3,050 |
| Missouri | $54K | +12% | 12,480 |
| California | $54K | +12% | 61,130 |
| Oregon | $54K | +11% | 5,690 |
| Kansas | $54K | +11% | 9,300 |
| Maine | $54K | +10% | 1,800 |
| Massachusetts | $52K | +8% | 10,650 |
| Arizona | $52K | +7% | 11,120 |
| Nebraska | $51K | +6% | 3,350 |
| North Dakota | $51K | +5% | 1,800 |
| Iowa | $51K | +4% | 7,230 |
| New York | $50K | +3% | 19,790 |
| Oklahoma | $50K | +2% | 7,430 |
| Wisconsin | $50K | +2% | 17,670 |
| Virginia | $50K | +2% | 9,830 |
| New Mexico | $50K | +2% | 1,550 |
| Louisiana | $49K | +2% | 8,110 |
| Nevada | $49K | +1% | 4,040 |
| New Jersey | $49K | +1% | 12,280 |
| Utah | $49K | +1% | 6,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -1% | 25,870 |
| Illinois | $48K | -1% | 31,700 |
| Indiana | $48K | -1% | 24,790 |
| Florida | $48K | -2% | 22,630 |
| Ohio | $47K | -2% | 32,060 |
| South Dakota | $47K | -3% | 1,090 |
| West Virginia | $47K | -3% | 2,720 |
| South Carolina | $47K | -3% | 13,360 |
| North Carolina | $46K | -4% | 19,700 |
| Kentucky | $46K | -5% | 12,880 |
| Vermont | $46K | -5% | 900 |
| Texas | $46K | -5% | 56,390 |
| Georgia | $46K | -5% | 19,980 |
| Tennessee | $46K | -6% | 17,140 |
| Idaho | $45K | -7% | 2,900 |
| Arkansas | $45K | -8% | 5,880 |
| Michigan | $44K | -8% | 27,980 |
| Mississippi | $41K | -16% | 6,970 |
| Alabama | $40K | -18% | 13,120 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weigher afford a 2BR apartment alone in Merced?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 44.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,503/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers in Merced?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,245/month. At HUD’s $1,503/month FMR, rent would take 67% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weigher a high-paying job in Merced?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $50K locally vs. $49K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Merced compare to the national average for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers?
Merced pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $49K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.28), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers make in Merced, CA?
The median is $49,940 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,420, and experienced inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers can clear $82,190. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Merced?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,407/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,503/month, which eats 44.1% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers salary go in Merced?
Merced has a Regional Price Parity of 98.28 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers salary is worth about $50,814 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.