What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Building Inspector?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Building Inspector jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Scotts Valley, CA (29.4% above average), followed by Honolulu County, HI and Nome, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Scotts Valley, CA $89,139 $7,428 $1,714 $42.86 Honolulu County, HI $87,112 $7,259 $1,675 $41.88 Nome, AK $85,447 $7,120 $1,643 $41.08 Berkeley, CA $84,341 $7,028 $1,621 $40.55 Rancho Murieta, CA $83,782 $6,981 $1,611 $40.28 Candia, NH $83,310 $6,942 $1,602 $40.05 Sitka, AK $82,980 $6,915 $1,595 $39.89 South San Francisco, CA $82,773 $6,897 $1,591 $39.79 Jersey City, NJ $82,396 $6,866 $1,584 $39.61 Annapolis Junction, MD $81,980 $6,831 $1,576 $39.41

Building Inspector

Building Inspector Salary

Q: How much does a Building Inspector make?

The average annual pay for a building inspector in the United States is $68,881 a year — that works out to approximately $33.12 an hour. The middle 80% of Building Inspectors earn between $46,500 (10th percentile) and $94,500 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Building Inspector Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Building Inspector in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Metallurgical Manager at $25,149 (36.5%) above Building Inspector. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Metallurgical Manager $94,030 $7,835 $1,808 $45.21 Plant Inspector $76,029 $6,335 $1,462 $36.55 Independent Contractor Mortgage Field Inspector $59,999 $4,999 $1,153 $28.85 Equipment Inspector $57,698 $4,808 $1,109 $27.74 Independent Contractor Welder $46,302 $3,858 $890 $22.26

$36K

$66.5K

$103K

$68,881

/year

$33.12

/hour

Building Inspector Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$68,881

Columbus

Ohio

$66,532

Do you get a good deal as a Building Inspector?

Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

Take The Breakroom Quiz

How much does a Building Inspector make?

As of Jun 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Building Inspector in the United States is $68,881 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $33.12 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,324/week or $5,740/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $103,000 and as low as $36,000, the majority of Building Inspector salaries currently range between $54,000 (25th percentile) to $81,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $94,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Building Inspector varies greatly (by as much as 27000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Building Inspector in your area makes on average $66,532 per year, or $2,349 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $68,881. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Building Inspector salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Building Inspector jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Building Inspector on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Building Inspector Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Building Inspector job is above the national average. Topping the list is Scotts Valley, CA, , with Honolulu County, HI, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $16,566 (24.1%), and Scotts Valley, CA, furthers that trend with another $20,258 (29.4%) above the $68,881 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Building Inspector appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 8% between Scotts Valley, CA, and Annapolis Junction, MD, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Building Inspector role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Scotts Valley, CA	$89,139	$7,428	$1,714	$42.86
Honolulu County, HI	$87,112	$7,259	$1,675	$41.88
Nome, AK	$85,447	$7,120	$1,643	$41.08
Berkeley, CA	$84,341	$7,028	$1,621	$40.55
Rancho Murieta, CA	$83,782	$6,981	$1,611	$40.28
Candia, NH	$83,310	$6,942	$1,602	$40.05
Sitka, AK	$82,980	$6,915	$1,595	$39.89
South San Francisco, CA	$82,773	$6,897	$1,591	$39.79
Jersey City, NJ	$82,396	$6,866	$1,584	$39.61
Annapolis Junction, MD	$81,980	$6,831	$1,576	$39.41

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Building Inspector Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Building Inspector category.

For example Metallurgical Manager jobs pay as much as $25,149 (36.5%) more than the average Building Inspector salary of $68,881. If you're qualified, finding work as a Metallurgical Manager may help you make more money than that of the average Building Inspector position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Metallurgical Manager	$94,030	$7,835	$1,808	$45.21
Plant Inspector	$76,029	$6,335	$1,462	$36.55
Independent Contractor Mortgage Field Inspector	$59,999	$4,999	$1,153	$28.85
Equipment Inspector	$57,698	$4,808	$1,109	$27.74
Independent Contractor Welder	$46,302	$3,858	$890	$22.26

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Building Inspector salary across the United States as of June 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $68,881 per year or $33.12 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

All Salaries Building Inspector Salary