Fire Inspectors and Investigators pay in the U.S.
$78,670avg. a year
$37.82 an hour · 13,800 employed
Fire Inspectors and Investigators in the U.S. earn an average of $78,670 a year and a median of $75,920. Pay is highest in Washington ($114,250) and lowest in Oklahoma ($51,150).
$75,920Median pay
$37.82Average hourly
+16%Avg. pay since 2020
13,800Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for fire inspectors and investigators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1380 jobs
Washington
$114,250
$54.93 an hour
2
Oregon
$109,620
$52.70 an hour
31,350 jobs
California
$102,500
$49.28 an hour
4190 jobs
Nevada
$91,600
$44.04 an hour
5
Colorado
$91,210
$43.85 an hour
6270 jobs
Maryland
$89,060
$42.82 an hour
7200 jobs
Massachusetts
$86,180
$41.43 an hour
830 jobs
Idaho
$83,350
$40.07 an hour
9230 jobs
Minnesota
$82,060
$39.45 an hour
10420 jobs
Connecticut
$80,970
$38.93 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Fire Inspectors and Investigators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $66k$66k–$74k$74k–$81k$81k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $124,850 | $60.03 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $117,420 | $56.45 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $104,980 | $50.47 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $96,440 | $46.37 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $93,070 | $44.75 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $92,600 | $44.52 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $89,970 | $43.25 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $88,410 | $42.50 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Fire Inspectors and Investigators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $73,150 | $78,110 | 40 |
| Arizona | $72,710 | $74,780 | 240 |
| Arkansas | $61,080 | $57,990 | 40 |
| California | $102,500 | $99,230 | 1,350 |
| Colorado | $91,210 | $85,750 | – |
| Connecticut | $80,970 | $80,490 | 420 |
| Florida | $78,440 | $75,660 | 1,060 |
| Georgia | $68,400 | $64,550 | 300 |
| Idaho | $83,350 | $72,810 | 30 |
| Illinois | $73,330 | $62,400 | 440 |
| Indiana | $72,490 | $73,340 | 200 |
| Iowa | $78,410 | $81,860 | 30 |
| Kansas | $69,030 | $64,290 | 90 |
| Kentucky | $56,800 | $55,970 | 100 |
| Louisiana | $74,080 | $64,820 | 80 |
| Maine | $64,490 | $58,240 | – |
| Maryland | $89,060 | $98,730 | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $86,180 | $81,140 | 200 |
| Michigan | $77,080 | $77,460 | 250 |
| Minnesota | $82,060 | $84,410 | 230 |
| Mississippi | $56,000 | $55,260 | 140 |
| Missouri | $70,410 | $77,240 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $75,970 | $76,770 | 60 |
| Nevada | $91,600 | $93,450 | 190 |
| New Hampshire | $77,380 | $75,230 | 50 |
| New Jersey | $67,760 | $60,100 | 1,290 |
| New Mexico | $66,440 | $64,680 | 160 |
| New York | $77,180 | $73,920 | 1,200 |
| North Carolina | $65,570 | $66,820 | 870 |
| North Dakota | $78,800 | $80,320 | 40 |
| Ohio | $74,790 | $59,280 | 520 |
| Oklahoma | $51,150 | $37,320 | 160 |
| Oregon | $109,620 | $115,080 | – |
| Pennsylvania | $61,990 | $59,080 | 280 |
| Rhode Island | $78,430 | $78,100 | 50 |
| South Carolina | $64,610 | $61,890 | 110 |
| Tennessee | $65,800 | $63,400 | 390 |
| Texas | $80,850 | $82,390 | 1,030 |
| Utah | $72,130 | $72,760 | 60 |
| Virginia | $71,060 | $70,460 | 100 |
| Washington | $114,250 | $122,900 | 380 |
| West Virginia | $56,720 | $52,490 | 70 |
| Wisconsin | $75,720 | $66,600 | 160 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$74,190
1,720 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$80,860
410 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$74,460
350 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$88,410
350 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$64,560
330 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$87,010
290 jobsRiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
$96,440
270 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$124,850
270 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do fire inspectors and investigators make?
The average is $78,670 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $75,920 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $37.82, and the median is $36.50 an hour.
Which state pays fire inspectors and investigators the most?
Washington, with an average of $114,250 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $124,850.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $46,530 a year, and the top 10% earn over $118,750.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-2021. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.