Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers Salary in St. Louis, MO
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area earn a median $51,790 a year — 7% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $42,296 take-home, or $3,525 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers salary in St. Louis, MO. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$4,035
- Social Security (6.2%)$3,211
- Medicare (1.45%)$751
- Missouri income tax$1,497
- Take-home pay$42,296
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.70% state
Living in St. Louis? City residents also pay St. Louis’s Earnings Tax — about $518 a year on this salary — which lowers take-home pay to $41,779 ($3,482 a month). Choose “St. Louis” under City income tax in the calculator. Suburban residents usually don’t pay it.
The St. Louis, MO-IL metro spans Missouri, Illinois. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers pay by experience in St. Louis, MO
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $35,260 | $16.95 | $29,792 | $2,483 |
| 25th percentile | $44,700 | $21.49 | $36,933 | $3,078 |
| Median (50th) | $51,790 | $24.90 | $42,296 | $3,525 |
| 75th percentile | $63,830 | $30.69 | $51,405 | $4,284 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $80,010 | $38.47 | $62,294 | $5,191 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Missouri resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $51,790 buys in St. Louis, MO
Prices in St. Louis, MO are 4.9% lower than the U.S. average (housing costs are 21% below the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers's $42,296 take-home pay has the buying power of $44,481 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers jobs are about as common in St. Louis, MO as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.08).
Best-paying cities for inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers, adjusted for cost of living
St. Louis, MO ranks #10 of 45 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $76,800 | $62,859 | $56,562 |
| 2 | Wichita, KS | $63,030 | $50,107 | $56,334 |
| 3 | Kansas City, MO | $63,000 | $50,777 | $54,868 |
| 4 | Tulsa, OK | $56,210 | $45,361 | $50,845 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $60,040 | $48,645 | $47,345 |
| 6 | Virginia Beach, VA | $57,330 | $45,762 | $46,724 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $61,820 | $49,281 | $45,260 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | $58,900 | $47,024 | $44,861 |
| 10 | St. Louis, MO | $51,790 | $42,296 | $44,481 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 45 metros →
About the job: inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
Inspect, test, sort, sample, or weigh nonagricultural raw materials or processed, machined, fabricated, or assembled parts or products for defects, wear, and deviations from specifications. May use precision measuring instruments and complex test equipment.
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +2.5% (about average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers salaries elsewhere in Missouri
- Kansas City, MO — $63,000
Frequently asked questions
How much does a inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers make in St. Louis, MO?
The median inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers salary in the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area is $51,790 a year, or about $24.90 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $44,700 and $63,830.
What is a inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers’s take-home pay in St. Louis, MO?
On the median $51,790 salary, a single filer living in Missouri takes home about $42,296 a year ($3,525 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,497 in Missouri taxes in 2026.
Is St. Louis, MO a good place to work as a inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers?
Pay here is 7% above the national median of $48,570. Local prices are 4.9% below the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $44,481 would in a typical U.S. city. St. Louis, MO ranks #10 of 45 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers afford rent in St. Louis, MO?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in St. Louis, MO is $989 a month ($1,211 for two bedrooms) — 28% of a median inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
Related jobs in St. Louis, MO
- First-Line Supervisor of Production and Operating Workers — $75,210
- Machinist — $62,210
- Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic — $62,090
- Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers — $51,640
- Packaging and Filling Machine Operator and Tender — $47,460
- Miscellaneous Assembler and Fabricator — $46,570
- Production Workers, All Other — $40,900