Home inspectors, building inspectors, electrical, plumbing inspectors earnings

Construction and Building Inspectors Employment

Construction and building inspectors held about 94,000 jobs in 2004. Local governments—primarily municipal or county building departments—employed 45 percent. Employment of local government inspectors is concentrated in cities and in suburban areas undergoing rapid growth. Local governments employ large inspection staffs, including many plan examiners or inspectors who specialize in structural steel, reinforced concrete, and boiler, electrical, and elevator inspection.

Another 25 percent of construction and building inspectors worked for architectural and engineering services firms, conducting inspections for a fee or on a contract basis. Many of these were home inspectors working on behalf of potential real estate purchasers.

Most of the remaining inspectors were employed in other service-providing industries or by State governments. About 1 in 10 construction and building inspectors was self-employed. Since many home inspectors are self-employed, it is likely that most self-employed construction and building inspectors were home inspectors.

Earnings

Median annual earnings of construction and building inspectors were $43,670 in May 2004. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,620 and $54,970. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,760, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $67,380. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of construction and building inspectors in May 2004 were:

Local government -- $43,960
Architectural, engineering, and related services -- $43,880
State government -- $39,310

Building inspectors, including plan examiners, generally earn the highest salaries. Salaries in large metropolitan areas are substantially higher than those in small jurisdictions.

Source:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Construction and Building Inspectors, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos004.htm (visited August 22, 2006).