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Building inspector salary
Average building inspector salary
$51,781
Understanding Building Inspector Salaries
The salary of a Building Inspector varies significantly based on several factors, such as state, years of experience, and specific job responsibilities. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $51,781 annually. Entry-level inspectors may start at approximately $35,000, while those with extensive experience can earn upwards of $75,000 annually.
In terms of location, states like California and New York typically offer higher salaries, with inspectors in urban areas often earning more due to increased demand. Additionally, specialization in areas such as electrical or plumbing inspection can lead to higher pay.
Building inspectors play a crucial role in public safety and compliance, making their positions vital within the construction industry. By understanding salary trends and the factors influencing pay, prospective inspectors can make informed decisions about their career paths. Explore opportunities in your area to find the best fit for your skills and compensation expectations.
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Where can a Building Inspector earn more?
Building inspector salaries by experience level
Building inspector salary estimates from across the web
Average building inspector salary by state
The highest-paying states for building inspectors are California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The lowest average building inspector salary states are Utah, West Virginia, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for building inspectors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | $59,259 | $28.49 |
| 2 | California | $68,885 | $33.12 |
| 3 | Montana | $59,033 | $28.38 |
| 4 | Nevada | $58,474 | $28.11 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $59,782 | $28.74 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $64,106 | $30.82 |
| 7 | Vermont | $56,395 | $27.11 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $55,099 | $26.49 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $66,299 | $31.87 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $59,679 | $28.69 |
| 11 | South Dakota | $63,253 | $30.41 |
| 12 | Delaware | $63,236 | $30.40 |
| 13 | Michigan | $54,695 | $26.30 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $54,365 | $26.14 |
| 15 | North Dakota | $54,006 | $25.96 |
| 16 | Washington | $55,314 | $26.59 |
| 17 | Iowa | $53,337 | $25.64 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $52,045 | $25.02 |
| 19 | Virginia | $49,307 | $23.71 |
| 20 | Colorado | $46,892 | $22.54 |
| 21 | Arizona | $47,700 | $22.93 |
| 22 | Alaska | $54,748 | $26.32 |
| 23 | Maryland | $50,949 | $24.49 |
| 24 | Kansas | $50,051 | $24.06 |
| 25 | Ohio | $46,837 | $22.52 |
| 26 | Illinois | $53,367 | $25.66 |
| 27 | New York | $50,127 | $24.10 |
| 28 | Oregon | $53,637 | $25.79 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $45,247 | $21.75 |
| 30 | Mississippi | $43,833 | $21.07 |
| 31 | Florida | $43,271 | $20.80 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $43,711 | $21.01 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $46,385 | $22.30 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $47,102 | $22.65 |
| 35 | Indiana | $40,014 | $19.24 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $46,814 | $22.51 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $43,971 | $21.14 |
| 38 | Rhode Island | $46,762 | $22.48 |
| 39 | Alabama | $43,649 | $20.99 |
| 40 | Missouri | $45,122 | $21.69 |
| 41 | Hawaii | $51,731 | $24.87 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $41,323 | $19.87 |
| 43 | Texas | $41,225 | $19.82 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $37,786 | $18.17 |
| 45 | Georgia | $37,092 | $17.83 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $42,337 | $20.35 |
| 47 | Utah | $37,930 | $18.24 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $39,996 | $19.23 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $34,333 | $16.51 |
| 50 | Idaho | $35,581 | $17.11 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $37,325 | $17.94 |
Highest paying cities for building inspectors
The highest-paying cities for building inspectors are San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, and Bozeman, MT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $70,931 | $34.10 |
| 2 | Las Vegas, NV | $58,629 | $28.19 |
| 3 | Bozeman, MT | $57,900 | $27.84 |
| 4 | Eugene, OR | $54,922 | $26.40 |
| 5 | Appleton, WI | $54,823 | $26.36 |
| 6 | Ann Arbor, MI | $54,507 | $26.21 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $50,346 | $24.20 |
| 8 | Charlottesville, VA | $48,767 | $23.45 |
| 9 | Goodyear, AZ | $47,796 | $22.98 |
| 10 | Littleton, CO | $46,939 | $22.57 |
| 11 | Saint Louis, MO | $45,942 | $22.09 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $45,144 | $21.70 |
| 13 | Sarasota, FL | $43,970 | $21.14 |
| 14 | El Paso, TX | $42,995 | $20.67 |
| 15 | Indianapolis, IN | $39,659 | $19.07 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $37,477 | $18.02 |
Building inspector salary details
A building inspector's salary ranges from $31,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $84,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a building inspector's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
| 75th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| Average | $51,781 | $4,315 | $25 |
| 25th Percentile | $39,000 | $3,250 | $19 |
| 10th Percentile | $31,000 | $2,583 | $15 |
Highest paying building inspector jobs
The highest paying types of building inspectors are construction analyst, building code administrator, and project inspector.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Analyst | $78,452 | $6,538 | $37.72 | 36,179 |
| Plans Examiner | $59,697 | $4,975 | $28.70 | 4,018 |
| Engineering Construction Inspector | $51,630 | $4,303 | $24.82 | 95,430 |
| Home Inspector | $51,264 | $4,272 | $24.65 | 55,491 |
| Electrical Inspector | $43,943 | $3,662 | $21.13 | 42,321 |
| Construction Inspector | $52,306 | $4,359 | $25.15 | 42,007 |
Top companies hiring building inspectors now:
Which companies pay building inspectors the most?
Building inspector salaries at Icma-rc and Jacobs Engineering Group are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average building inspector salary at companies like Willdan and Coconino Community College are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Icma-rc | $100,174 | $48.16 |
| 2 | Jacobs Engineering Group | $80,948 | $38.92 |
| 3 | Willdan | $72,490 | $34.85 |
| 4 | Coconino Community College | $66,341 | $31.89 |
| 5 | CSG | $63,773 | $30.66 |
| 6 | Consultant Engineering | $63,179 | $30.37 |
| 7 | MSA Professional Services | $61,632 | $29.63 |
| 8 | DLZ | $61,279 | $29.46 |
| 9 | City of Palm Bay | $60,753 | $29.21 |
| 10 | City of Baltimore | $59,642 | $28.67 |
| 11 | Clark County | $56,153 | $27.00 |
| 12 | Bureau Veritas | $55,675 | $26.77 |
| 13 | City of Springfield | $55,628 | $26.74 |
| 14 | Collier County Government | $55,191 | $26.53 |
| 15 | Four Seasons | $54,933 | $26.41 |
| 16 | Arlington County, VA | $54,677 | $26.29 |
| 17 | City of Peoria | $54,112 | $26.02 |
| 18 | Eagle County | $53,851 | $25.89 |
| 19 | Universal Engineering Sciences | $53,732 | $25.83 |
| 20 | Forsyth County | $53,665 | $25.80 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Building Inspector salary by industry
The average building inspector salary varies across industries:
- The average building inspector salary in the technology industry is $83,259, the highest of any industry.
- The average building inspector salary in the finance industry is $52,054.
- Building inspectors in the government industry earn an average salary of $48,041, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for building inspectors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $83,259 | $40.03 |
| 2 | Finance | $52,054 | $25.03 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $51,293 | $24.66 |
| 4 | Government | $48,041 | $23.10 |
High paying building inspector jobs
Building inspector salary trends
The average building inspector salary has risen by $7,974 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average building inspector earned $43,807 annually, but today, they earn $51,781 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for building inspectors over the last decade.
Compare building inspector salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average building inspector salary over time
Compare building inspector salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Building inspector salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $51,800 | $24.89 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $50,000 | $24.04 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $49,200 | $23.64 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | $48,700 | $23.40 | +1.0% |
| 2021 | $48,200 | $23.16 | +1.9% |
Recently added building inspector salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Nicholasville (Ky | Building Inspector | Nicholasville, KY | 06/30/2025 | $47,208 |
| Intertek USA, Inc. | Building Products Inspector | Kansas City, MO | 06/29/2025 | $62,610 |
| State of Oklahoma | Construction Industries Board-Hearing Clerk/Building Inspector Secretary | Oklahoma City, OK | 06/29/2025 | $50,006 |
| Kootenai County, Id | Building Inspector II | Coeur dAlene, ID | 06/29/2025 | $56,579 |
| BPR Consulting Group | Building Inspector | San Joaquin, CA | 06/28/2025 | $93,915 |
| Town of Flower Mound (Tx | Building Inspector I/II/III | Flower Mound, TX | 06/28/2025 | $54,100 |
| County of San Mateo (Ca | Building Inspector I/II/III (Open and Promotional) | San Mateo, CA | 06/28/2025 | $89,482 |
| City of Raleigh North Carolina | Commercial Building Inspector | Raleigh, NC | 06/28/2025 | $52,988 |
| State of Georgia | Building Inspector (Statewide) | Atlanta, GA | 06/27/2025 | $52,000 |
| Washington City | Building Inspector I | Washington, UT | 06/27/2025 | $66,289 |
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