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The differences between building inspectors and housing inspectors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a building inspector and a housing inspector. Additionally, a building inspector has an average salary of $51,781, which is higher than the $47,599 average annual salary of a housing inspector.
The top three skills for a building inspector include plumbing, customer service and building construction. The most important skills for a housing inspector are quality standards, safety issues, and plumbing.
| Building Inspector | Housing Inspector | |
| Yearly salary | $51,781 | $47,599 |
| Hourly rate | $24.89 | $22.88 |
| Growth rate | -4% | -4% |
| Number of jobs | 20,962 | 18,546 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A building inspector is responsible for inspecting the safety and security of the building location, including its structural quality and construction documents. Building inspectors coordinate with landowners or institutions to verify code regulations compliance and submit work orders and permits. They also provide expense forecasting for development, identifying cost-reduction techniques by recommending trusted suppliers and third-party vendors on construction materials with the highest quality. A building inspector must have excellent communication and analytical skills, especially on negotiating contracts and processing occupation permits.
Housing Inspectors inspect the construction nature of the existing buildings. They examine the facilities and report on the general house condition, house damage, house defects, and no longer working components. Their primary duties include checking and conducting necessary testing of plumbing installations and existing electrical and checking existing houses to note and report fire hazards, structural defects, and other safety threats. Moreover, Housing Inspectors inspect homes on behalf of clients, assess them, and deliver reports about the property's physical condition.
Building inspectors and housing inspectors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Building Inspector | Housing Inspector | |
| Average salary | $51,781 | $47,599 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $84,000 | Between $29,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Icma-rc | City of Detroit |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a building inspector and a housing inspector in terms of educational background:
| Building Inspector | Housing Inspector | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | San Diego State University | San Diego State University |
Here are the differences between building inspectors' and housing inspectors' demographics:
| Building Inspector | Housing Inspector | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.9% Female, 11.1% | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.4% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |