Robotics workforce
Quality control inspectors: 602,000 jobs, $48,570 median, +3% to 2035
602,000. That's how many quality control inspector jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted in 2025. The median wage in May 2025 was $48,570.
Inspection is one of the places machine vision has moved in. The BLS says some manufacturers have automated inspection with vision systems at points on the line, and that tools like 3D scanners cut inspection time, which is expected to reduce demand for some inspectors.
Even so, the BLS projects 3% growth from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as average, and about 66,700 openings a year. It also says automation can't replace all the tasks inspectors do.
Data covers BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook; wages May 2025 and projections 2025 to 2035. Published 2026-10-16. Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Last updated 2026-10-16. Edited by Mike Ramsey / Reliable Media.
The figures and where they come from
Each figure is rated for how safely you can cite it today. Ratings judge current usability, not whether a number was ever correct.
| Figure | What it is | Source | Citation Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 602,000 jobs | Employment level (2025) | [A] | High | Many work in manufacturing. |
| $48,570 | Median annual wage (May 2025) | [A] | High | Half earned more and half less. |
| $23.35 | Median hourly wage | [A] | High | The hourly equivalent of the median. |
| $35,510 | Lowest 10% earned less than | [A] | High | The bottom decile in May 2025. |
| $77,860 | Highest 10% earned more than | [A] | High | The top decile in May 2025. |
| +3% | Projected employment growth, 2025 to 2035 | [A] | Medium | About as fast as the average for all occupations. |
| +15,200 jobs | Projected employment change, 2025 to 2035 | [A] | Medium | The net gain over the whole decade. |
| about 66,700 | Openings projected each year | [A] | Medium | An annual average over 2025 to 2035, many to replace workers who leave. |
| Vision systems on the line | Automated inspection, per BLS | [A] | High | The Handbook's description of how inspection work is changing. |
| Can't replace all inspector tasks | Limits of automation, per BLS | [A] | High | The BLS says inspections and validation will continue to be needed for many products. |
Why the numbers disagree
The BLS makes two points that pull in different directions. It expects automated inspection to raise productivity and reduce demand for some inspectors, and it says automation can't replace all inspector tasks. It projects 3% growth either way. Quoting only one point misstates the outlook.
Openings and growth are separate measures. The 15,200 is net growth over ten years; the 66,700 is a yearly average that mostly replaces people leaving the occupation.
The BLS gives no count of inspection jobs lost to vision systems. Its wording is qualitative: some manufacturers have automated inspection, and reduced demand is expected for some inspectors.
How to cite these figures
Cite it as BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: 602,000 quality control inspector jobs in 2025, a $48,570 median wage in May 2025, and 3% projected growth from 2025 to 2035.
When you write about machine vision, quote the BLS wording and pair it with its counterweight, that automation can't replace all inspector tasks.
Keep 15,200 as a ten-year net change and 66,700 as openings per year.
Where people go wrong
Claiming the BLS projects inspection jobs to disappear. It projects 3% growth, about as fast as average.
Quoting a number of jobs replaced by vision systems. The Handbook doesn't give one.
Treating 66,700 openings a year as new positions. Net growth is about 15,200 over the whole decade.
How we checked
Each figure is matched to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook entry for quality control inspectors: Quick Facts, the pay section, the job outlook text and the projections table.
Measured wages and employment rate High; the 2025 to 2035 projections rate Medium. The automation statements are the Handbook's qualitative wording, quoted rather than paraphrased into numbers.
Full source list
Primary sources, with live links. Every figure above traces to one of these.
- [A]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2025
Quality Control Inspectors, Occupational Outlook Handbook
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/production/quality-control-inspectors.htm
Common questions
- What do quality control inspectors earn?
- A median of $48,570 a year, or $23.35 an hour, in May 2025, per the BLS. The lowest 10% earned less than $35,510 and the highest 10% more than $77,860.
- Will machine vision replace quality inspectors?
- The BLS expects automated inspection to reduce demand for some inspectors but says automation can't replace all the tasks they do. It projects 3% growth from 2025 to 2035.
- How many quality control inspectors are there?
- About 602,000 jobs in 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
- How many inspector openings are expected each year?
- About 66,700 a year on average from 2025 to 2035.
More data, traced to source
- Industrial engineers: $102,440 median pay and 12% job growth to 2035
The BLS puts the industrial engineer median at $102,440, counts 365,100 jobs and projects 12% growth from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average. It ties part of that demand to expertise on automation.
- Assemblers and fabricators: 1,799,500 jobs, just 1% growth to 2035
The BLS counts 1,799,500 assembler and fabricator jobs at a $45,450 median and projects 1% growth from 2025 to 2035. It names automation and collaborative robots among the reasons growth stays low, yet expects about 177,500 openings a year.
- Electro-mechanical technician pay and jobs: the BLS numbers
The BLS tracks electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians, the closest official occupation to a robotics maintenance tech. Median pay is $73,900, with about 15,700 jobs and growth projected at about the average rate.
- Will automation wipe out factory jobs? BLS projects a 1% decline
Against the automation-apocalypse narrative, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects US production jobs to decline just 1.0% over its latest 10-year horizon, while total employment grows 4.0%. The official projection, traced to source.