What Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers earn in Somerset County, NJ
The median pay for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Somerset County, NJ is $50,160 per year, which works out to $24.12 per hour. The figure comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, the labor market that Somerset County, NJ belongs to. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than the median and half earn less, which makes it a sturdier yardstick than an average that a few very high earners can pull upward.
The mean wage is $54,770, which is 9.2% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 16,370 people working in this occupation across the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Somerset County, NJ has roughly 349,846 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $36,550 a year ($17.57 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $78,510 or more ($37.75 an hour). That is a gap of $41,960 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $41,120 at the 25th percentile and $62,720 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.1 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $24.12 an hour or $50,160 a year at the median for Somerset County, NJ. Before any deductions, that is $4,180 a month, $1,929 every two weeks and $965 each week. After taxes the same job pays $19.81 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
How pay in Somerset County, NJ compares
Compared with the New Jersey average
Pay for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Somerset County, NJ is in line with the statewide figure: $50,160 locally against an employment-weighted New Jersey average of $50,507, a difference of only $347 (0.7%). Within New Jersey, Somerset County, NJ already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
Nationally, Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers earn an employment-weighted average of $49,892 across the contiguous United States, so $50,160 in Somerset County, NJ is essentially average. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Somerset County, NJ
Among the 671 occupations with published wages in Somerset County, NJ, Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers ranks number 518 by median pay, ahead of about 23% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at $335,270 a year, which is $285,110 more than the median for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers earning the Somerset County, NJ median of $50,160, they add up to $8,952. The result is $41,208 of take-home pay a year ($3,434 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $18 goes to taxes and $82 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 17.9%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $34,410. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $3,891, an effective 7.8% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $3,110 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $727. FICA totals $3,837, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in New Jersey
New Jersey income tax on this salary is $1,224 a year, or 2.4% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 31% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $102 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Somerset County, NJ
IRS Statistics of Income data for Somerset County, NJ show an average adjusted gross income of $153,889 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 18.5% across all filers. Filers in the $50,000 to under $75,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 7.8%, compared with the 7.8% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Somerset County, NJ
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Somerset County, NJ: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $41,208 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Somerset County, NJ, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,103 a month ($25,236 a year), and at $2,623 for two bedrooms. For Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers, a one-bedroom absorbs 61.2% of take-home pay and 50.3% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 6.8% of gross pay for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Somerset County, NJ. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using New Jersey residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $2,044 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $518, for $2,562 in total. Gasoline in New Jersey averages $3.21 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,484.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $32,717 a year in Somerset County, NJ. Subtract that from $41,208 of take-home pay and $8,491 remains, which is $708 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 16.9% of gross pay, a workable but modest cushion.
Can Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers afford to live in Somerset County, NJ?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $50,160 that ceiling is $1,254 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,103 is $849 over it, so rent breaks the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $40.44 an hour; the median for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers is $24.12, which is 40% below that mark. Another way to see it: at $19.81 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 24.5 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $2,623 a month means $1,312 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $9,498 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $17,989.
How fast you can save
At $708 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 15 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 30 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers pay in Somerset County, NJ
How much do Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers make per hour in Somerset County, NJ?
The median is $24.12 per hour, based on $50,160 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $17.57 at the 10th percentile to $37.75 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers take home after taxes in Somerset County, NJ?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $50,160 becomes $41,208 a year. That is $3,434 a month, $1,585 every two weeks or $792 a week.
How much tax do Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers pay in Somerset County, NJ?
Total taxes are $8,952 a year, an effective rate of 17.9%: $3,891 federal income tax, $3,837 FICA and $1,224 New Jersey income tax.
Do Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers earn more in Somerset County, NJ than elsewhere in New Jersey?
It is about the same. The local median of $50,160 is within 0.7% of the New Jersey average of $50,507.
Can Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Somerset County, NJ?
A one-bedroom costs $2,103 a month against take-home pay of $3,434, which is 61.2% of take-home pay. That does not meet the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,254 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Somerset County, NJ?
About $708 a month ($8,491 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $32,717 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Somerset County, NJ at the 30% guideline?
$40.44 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $25,236 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers is $24.12.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the New Jersey rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.