Quality Control Analysts earn a median of $62,280 per year ($29.94/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 4.4% through 2035, with about 11,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Associate's degree.
- SOC 19-4099
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Quality Control Analyst in four numbers
- Median pay
- $62,280a year, or $29.94/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $39KTop 10% $103K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +4.4%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+4.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +4.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 11,20089,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202589.5K
- Projected 203593.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 89.5K Projected 2035 93.4K - Typical education
- Associate'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school5.7%
- High school37.8%
- Certificate9.6%
- Some college8.8%
- Associate's10.2%
- Bachelor's27.9%
Highest education held by quality control analysts Segment Value Less than high school 5.7% High school 37.8% Certificate 9.6% Some college 8.8% Associate's 10.2% Bachelor's 27.9%
Also advertised as: Lab Analyst, Lab Technician (Lab Tech), Laboratory Analyst, Microbiology Lab Analyst, QA Auditor (Quality Assurance Auditor), QA Lab Tech (Quality Assurance Lab Technician).
Pay
How much do Quality Control Analysts make?
Every quality control analyst in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$62,280
Middle half earn $48,030 to $79,780
- 10th
- $39,000
- 25th
- $48,030
- 75th
- $79,780
- 90th
- $102,690
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $39,000 |
| 25th | $48,030 |
| Median | $62,280 |
| 75th | $79,780 |
| 90th | $102,690 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $62,280
- Median hourly wage
- $29.94/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $66,280
- People employed
- 73,910
Versus all US occupations
At $62,280, Quality Control Analysts earn 22% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $11,300 a year.
Versus life, physical, and social science occupations
Inside the Life, Physical, and Social Science group, where the middle occupation pays $82,220, this is 24% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $102,690 or more while the bottom 10% earn $39,000, a gap of 2.6×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 35% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Oklahoma pays the most at $86,260, and still leads at $98,198 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Quality Control Analysts the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oklahoma | $86,260 | $98,198 | 460 |
| 2District of Columbia | $79,230 | $72,092 | 150 |
| 3California | $78,350 | $70,764 | 10,090 |
| 4Washington | $73,530 | $68,711 | 980 |
| 5Alaska | $70,700 | $69,071 | 170 |
| 6Rhode Island | $69,630 | $68,078 | 210 |
| 7North Dakota | $69,350 | $77,957 | 180 |
| 8Georgia | $69,320 | $71,989 | 2,230 |
| 9Maryland | $68,390 | $65,159 | 3,510 |
| 10Kentucky | $68,230 | $75,677 | 320 |
Job outlook
Is Quality Control Analyst a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +4.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Quality Control Analysts | +4.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Quality Control Analysts to change 4.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 3,900 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 11,200 openings are projected each year, 12.5% of the 89,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Quality Control Analyst
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Associate's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as quality control analysts.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)37.8%
- Bachelor's Degree27.9%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree10.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate9.6%
- Some College Courses8.8%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 37.8% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 27.9% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 10.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 9.6% |
| Some College Courses | 8.8% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Quality Control Analyst do?
Conduct tests to determine quality of raw materials, bulk intermediate and finished products. May conduct stability sample tests.
Day-to-day tasks
- Investigate or report questionable test results.
- Ensure that lab cleanliness and safety standards are maintained.
- Conduct routine and non-routine analyses of in-process materials, raw materials, environmental samples, finished goods, or stability samples.
- Calibrate, validate, or maintain laboratory equipment.
- Complete documentation needed to support testing procedures, including data capture forms, equipment logbooks, or inventory forms.
- Interpret test results, compare them to established specifications and control limits, and make recommendations on appropriateness of data for release.
- Monitor testing procedures to ensure that all tests are performed according to established item specifications, standard test methods, or protocols.
- Compile laboratory test data and perform appropriate analyses.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Active Listening3.4
- Writing3.3
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Speaking3.1
- Active Learning3.1
- Mathematics3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.4 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.3 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Quality Control Analysis4.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.4
- Operations Monitoring3.3
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0
- Systems Analysis3.0
- Systems Evaluation3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Quality Control Analysis | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.3 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Analytical or scientific software · in demand
- Content workflow software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Quality Control Analyst?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Quality Control Analyst |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 4 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 1 |
| Enterprising | 3 |
| Conventional | 6 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Conventional6.0
- Investigative4.9
- Realistic4.1
- Enterprising2.6
- Social1.2
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Quality Control Analyst
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
Industrial Engineering Technologist and Technician
$66,120median a year
Most earn $47K to $99K
+3.1%Associate's
More life, physical, and social science careers
Median annual pay, with quality control analysts highlighted
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950
- Physicist$172,250
- Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists$103,410
- Chemist$91,240
- Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health$82,220
- Conservation Scientist$73,010
- Quality Control Analyst$62,280
- Chemical Technician$60,390
- Biological Technician$57,510
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Industrial-Organizational Psychologist | $193,950 |
| Physicist | $172,250 |
| Medical Scientist, Except Epidemiologists | $103,410 |
| Chemist | $91,240 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist, Including Health | $82,220 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Quality Control Analyst | $62,280 |
| Chemical Technician | $60,390 |
| Biological Technician | $57,510 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Quality Control Analyst appears on
Questions
Quality Control Analyst: frequently asked questions
How much do Quality Control Analysts make?
Quality Control Analysts earn a median of $62,280 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 22% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $29.94/hr. The middle half earn between $48,030 and $79,780. The top 10% earn $102,690 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Quality Control Analyst?
Usually a two-year degree rather than a four-year one. BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for Quality Control Analysts. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 37.8% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Quality Control Analyst a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 4.4% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 11,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Quality Control Analyst do?
Conduct tests to determine quality of raw materials, bulk intermediate and finished products. A core O*NET task: investigate or report questionable test results. Employers most often ask for Analytical or scientific software, Content workflow software, Data base user interface and query software.
Which states pay Quality Control Analysts the most?
The highest state medians for Quality Control Analysts are Oklahoma ($86,260), District of Columbia ($79,230), California ($78,350) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Quality Control Analyst?
O*NET scores Quality Control Analysts highest on the Conventional, Investigative and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.