Money · 1 of 5
What building inspectors make
Typical
$74,690
New inspector
$47,140
Senior or plans examiner
$114,200
The national median is $74,690 a year, and the bottom tenth start near $47,140. These are the federal wage survey figures for Construction and Building Inspectors, which covers building, electrical, plumbing and public works inspectors together. City and county jobs in expensive metro areas pay well above the middle.