Railroad Inspector

Railroad Inspector Salary

$24.5K

$48K

$98.5K

$54,939

/year

$26.41

/hour

Railroad Inspector Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$54,939

Columbus

Ohio

$53,066

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    How much does a Railroad Inspector make?

    As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Railroad Inspector in the United States is $54,939 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $26.41 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,056/week or $4,578/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $98,500 and as low as $24,500, the majority of Railroad Inspector salaries currently range between $38,500 (25th percentile) to $63,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $92,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Railroad Inspector varies greatly (by as much as 25000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Railroad Inspector in your area makes on average $53,066 per year, or $1,873 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $54,939. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Railroad Inspector salaries.

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

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

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Railroad Inspector Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Railroad Inspector job is above the national average. Topping the list is San Francisco, CA, , with Nome, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $12,331 (22.4%), and San Francisco, CA, furthers that trend with another $21,624 (39.4%) above the $54,939 average.

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

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 16% between San Francisco, CA, and Stanford, 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 Railroad Inspector role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    San Francisco, CA

    $76,563

    $36.81

    Nome, AK

    $68,152

    $32.77

    Berkeley, CA

    $67,270

    $32.34

    Sitka, AK

    $66,184

    $31.82

    Westport, MA

    $65,678

    $31.58

    Ketchikan, AK

    $65,584

    $31.53

    Pennington County, SD

    $65,465

    $31.47

    Fresno, CA

    $64,765

    $31.14

    Brighton, CO

    $64,712

    $31.11

    Stanford, CA

    $64,635

    $31.07

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

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

    For example Nuclear Plant Manager jobs pay as much as $60,167 (109.5%) more than the average Railroad Inspector salary of $54,939. If you're qualified, finding work as a Nuclear Plant Manager may help you make more money than that of the average Railroad Inspector position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Nuclear Plant Manager

    $115,106

    $55.34

    Environmental Compliance Inspector

    $65,481

    $31.48

    Track Inspector

    $58,439

    $28.10

    Site Inspector

    $57,810

    $27.79

    Pipeline Inspector

    $57,298

    $27.55

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Railroad Inspector salary across the United States as of May 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $54,939 per year or $26.41 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.