Motor Vehicle Inspector

Motor Vehicle Inspector Salary

$30K

$41.5K

$52.5K

$42,418

/year

$20.39

/hour

Motor Vehicle Inspector Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$42,418

Columbus

Ohio

$40,972

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    How much does a Motor Vehicle Inspector make?

    As of Aug 24, 2026, the average annual pay for a Motor Vehicle Inspector in the United States is $42,418 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $20.39 an hour. This is the equivalent of $815/week or $3,534/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $52,500 and as low as $30,000, the majority of Motor Vehicle Inspector salaries currently range between $38,500 (25th percentile) to $42,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $52,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Motor Vehicle Inspector varies little (about 3500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

    A Motor Vehicle Inspector in your area makes on average $40,972 per year, or $1,446 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $42,418. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Motor Vehicle Inspector salaries.

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

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

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Motor Vehicle Inspector Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Motor Vehicle Inspector job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Beverly, MA, and Milford, CT, close behind in the second and third positions. Milford, CT, beats the national average by $14,578 (34.4%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $17,986 (42.4%) above the $42,418 average.

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

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 15% between Pennington County, SD, and Berkeley, CA, , 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 Motor Vehicle Inspector role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Pennington County, SD

    $60,404

    $29.04

    Beverly, MA

    $59,289

    $28.50

    Milford, CT

    $56,996

    $27.40

    Midland, MI

    $55,440

    $26.65

    Burleigh County, ND

    $54,963

    $26.42

    Sewell, NJ

    $54,532

    $26.22

    Schenectady, NY

    $53,979

    $25.95

    Wellsboro, PA

    $52,996

    $25.48

    Nome, AK

    $52,620

    $25.30

    Berkeley, CA

    $51,939

    $24.97

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

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

    For example Civil Engineering Inspector jobs pay as much as $20,370 (48.0%) more than the average Motor Vehicle Inspector salary of $42,418. If you're qualified, finding work as a Civil Engineering Inspector may help you make more money than that of the average Motor Vehicle Inspector position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Civil Engineering Inspector

    $62,788

    $30.19

    Utility Inspector

    $58,903

    $28.32

    Structural Steel And Bolting Special Inspector

    $56,490

    $27.16

    Transportation Security Inspector

    $43,990

    $21.15

    Tack Welder

    $41,910

    $20.15

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Motor Vehicle Inspector salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $42,418 per year or $20.39 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.