Side-by-side distribution
Process Engineer
$118,775
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 29.2%
- Live roles
- 2,570
Quality Control
$25.00/hr
per hour · USD
- Disclosing
- 35.1%
- Live roles
- 348
Highest-paying jobs
Forward Deployed Process Engineer Lead - R37
Director, Process Engineer – Dry Etch
Forward Deployed Process Engineer Lead - R37
Finance Transformation Process Engineer
Process Design Engineer - IT
MEMs Microfabrication Process Engineer (Metrology, Test, BEOL, or Bond)
Sr. Staff Engineer - Process & Equipment Design
Director, Process Engineer
Intel Foundry Process Development Engineer - Lithography
Senior Process Engineer (Power Generation / Gas-to-Power)
Highest-paying jobs
Quality Control Inspector Lead
Quality Control Inspector II - NCR
Quality Control Inspector - Systems
Quality Control Inspector
Quality Control Inspector
QC Highway/Bridge Inspector
Quality Control Inspector
Quality Control Technician (Machining)
Aircraft Warehouse Quality Control Inspector
Aircraft Quality Control Inspector
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Applied Materials
|
$147,500 | 90 |
Samsung
|
$107,500 | 35 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$111,800 | 26 |
|
Intel
|
$167,330 | 13 |
Anduril Industries
|
$155,750 | 12 |
Abbott
|
$117,000 | 11 |
Blue Origin
|
$119,041 | 10 |
| GV GE Vernova | $114,100 | 10 |
Trexon
Osmo
Flex
Danaher
PPG
Process Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $170,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $140,000 | 9 |
| New York | $124,675 | 20 |
| Seattle | $119,041 | 15 |
| Boston | $115,000 | 5 |
| Denver | $112,011 | 3 |
| Austin | $110,500 | 21 |
Quality Control salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $100,878 | 4 |
| New York | $47,060 | 5 |
Process Engineer vs Quality Control: which pays more?
The median for Process Engineer is $118,775 per year (typically $96,050–$143,620), versus $25.00/hr for Quality Control ($22.06/hr–$29.94/hr). That puts Process Engineer about 128% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Process Engineer and Quality Control are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.