Construction and Building Inspectors Salary: $106,542 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 137,210 construction and building inspectors nationally earn a mean of $106,542. Employment in the series shown rose about 9% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 1.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Construction and Building Inspectors: what the data shows
Common questions about construction and building inspectors careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a construction and building inspectors?
Construction and Building Inspectors is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-4011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 137,210 workers.
What does a construction and building inspectors do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a construction and building inspectors make?
BLS national median annual wage: $72,120 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $106,542 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,023 |
| 25th percentile | $77,091 |
| Median (50th) | $104,133 |
| 75th percentile | $132,267 |
| 90th percentile | $167,009 |
What education do you need?
For Construction and Building Inspectors, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is construction and building inspectors in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 9.0%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 18.8%.
Current U.S. headcount: 137,210.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do construction and building inspectorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 137,210 | 17.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 77,240 | 9.9% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 59,970 | 7.7% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 59,260 | 7.6% |
| Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Government Schools and Hospitals and the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | 59,260 | 7.6% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 51,620 | 6.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Construction and Building Inspectors in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Construction and Building Inspectors workforce.
Employment Over Time
137,210 Workforce in 2023
The Construction and Building Inspectors workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$106,542 Average Wage
In 2023, Construction and Building Inspectors earned an average of $106,542.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Salary distribution for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Employment Growth Projections
1.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
59,951 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 9.0%
65,349 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 18.8%
This occupation is projected to grow at 1.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Construction and Building Inspectors and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Construction and Building Inspectors employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.8% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Construction and Building Inspectors.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- TX: 15,920 employees, $67,720 avg wage
- CA: 14,010 employees, $103,500 avg wage
- FL: 11,270 employees, $70,290 avg wage
- NY: 10,160 employees, $86,630 avg wage
- NJ: 7,040 employees, $86,220 avg wage
- NC: 6,020 employees, $67,540 avg wage
- PA: 5,570 employees, $65,600 avg wage
- VA: 5,260 employees, $72,430 avg wage
- GA: 4,270 employees, $67,940 avg wage
- MA: 4,000 employees, $80,710 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 11,060 employees, $91,960 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 4,490 employees, $71,040 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 4,410 employees, $70,900 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 3,730 employees, $107,170 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 3,540 employees, $81,210 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 3,010 employees, $74,270 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 2,950 employees, $79,180 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2,950 employees, $80,450 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2,760 employees, $70,250 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 2,540 employees, $80,840 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Diversity
Demographic information on Construction and Building Inspectors in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Construction and Building Inspectors in 2023 was 137,210 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Construction and Building Inspectors in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Business.
Common majors for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Construction and Building Inspectors workers.
Education level distribution for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Skills
Construction and Building Inspectors need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving.
Required skills for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Construction and Building Inspectors include Building and Construction, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, Design.
Knowledge areas required for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Construction and Building Inspectors include Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression.
Required abilities for Construction and Building Inspectors.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Construction and Building Inspectors.
Daily Activities
Construction and Building Inspectors spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Communicating with People Outside the Organization.
Most important work activities for Construction and Building Inspectors.
About
Construction and Building Inspectors
The average yearly wage for Construction and Building Inspectors was $106,542 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-4011 - Construction and Building Inspectors
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Construction and Building Inspectors reports an average salary of $106,542, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 137,210 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.