How Much Does a Building Inspector Make? (2024)
Management · SOC Code 47-4011
The average building inspector earns $75,182 per year ($36/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $60,520 to $125,150 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $63,230 and top earners making $171,700+.
Yes — top-decile building inspectors clear $100K in 17 of 30 metros
The 90th-percentile building inspector in San Francisco, CA earns $171,700 per year ($83/hour). Reaching that tier typically takes journeyman-to-master progression plus union membership, specialization, or running a small contracting business. Median building inspector pay nationally is $75,182 — the $100K mark is the high-earner ceiling, not the middle.
National Salary Range
Building Inspector salaries range from $60,520 to $125,150 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Building Inspector Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $125,150 | $63,230 – $171,700 | $65,868 | C | 2,430 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $103,480 | $59,220 – $168,900 | $62,337 | C | 3,730 |
| Seattle, WA | $100,330 | $63,610 – $121,000 | $67,336 | C | 1,630 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $88,100 | $67,390 – $112,340 | $83,113 | C | 870 |
| New York, NY | $85,960 | $51,880 – $133,710 | $45,968 | D | 11,060 |
| Portland, OR | $83,970 | $52,610 – $120,030 | $64,592 | C | 1,070 |
| Boston, MA | $79,560 | $49,050 – $107,170 | $52,342 | D | 2,950 |
| Denver, CO | $79,500 | $49,170 – $123,010 | $62,109 | C | 2,070 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $78,280 | $55,570 – $114,110 | $76,000 | C | 2,540 |
| Chicago, IL | $78,110 | $48,710 – $123,960 | $73,000 | C | 2,370 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $75,670 | $45,190 – $108,470 | $72,760 | C | 730 |
| Miami, FL | $75,350 | $47,720 – $114,750 | $61,762 | C | 2,950 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $73,730 | $47,050 – $100,180 | $70,894 | C | 550 |
| Raleigh, NC | $73,540 | $46,560 – $96,010 | $73,540 | C | 1,500 |
| Detroit, MI | $72,460 | $48,750 – $93,740 | $81,416 | C | 1,540 |
| Columbus, OH | $71,700 | $50,720 – $97,770 | $77,097 | C | 820 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $70,710 | $51,390 – $94,830 | $73,656 | C | 440 |
| Charlotte, NC | $70,490 | $49,990 – $93,330 | $71,929 | C | 1,610 |
| New Orleans, LA | $67,740 | $47,970 – $101,440 | $71,305 | C | 320 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $66,380 | $48,730 – $105,250 | $57,722 | D | 3,010 |
| Atlanta, GA | $65,940 | $48,150 – $95,640 | $62,208 | C | 2,760 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $65,520 | $41,050 – $94,330 | $72,000 | C | 940 |
| Tampa, FL | $64,470 | $45,250 – $95,980 | $63,832 | C | 1,750 |
| Nashville, TN | $63,680 | $41,300 – $90,970 | $61,825 | C | 630 |
| Kansas City, MO | $63,570 | $48,420 – $92,360 | $67,628 | C | 760 |
| Dallas, TX | $63,450 | $45,760 – $105,870 | $62,206 | C | 4,410 |
| Houston, TX | $62,990 | $42,480 – $102,820 | $65,615 | C | 4,490 |
| St. Louis, MO | $62,670 | $44,980 – $93,480 | $69,633 | C | 870 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $62,440 | $46,800 – $80,930 | $67,870 | C | 1,360 |
| San Antonio, TX | $60,520 | $44,900 – $97,830 | $67,244 | C | 1,380 |
About Building Inspector Pay
Building Inspectors earn a national median salary of $75,182 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is San Francisco at $125,150 median, while San Antonio offers the lowest at $60,520.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a building inspector?
Step-by-step path: training requirements, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Management Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
The average building inspector salary is $75,182 per year ($36/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $60,520 to $125,150 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Building Inspectors earn an average hourly wage of $36/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $30/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $83/hour or more.
San Francisco offers the highest median pay for building inspectors at $125,150. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of C and 1% wage growth over 5 years, building inspector offers steady career prospects. There are approximately 63,540 jobs nationwide across 30 metro areas.
Training requirements vary by state and employer. Many building inspectors start through vocational programs, community colleges, or on-the-job training. Check with your state's licensing board for specific requirements.
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. skilled-trade wage data dataset. The detail above comes directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. trades, cities, and states.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.