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Home Inspector: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of home inspectors earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$74,690
Hourly
$35.91
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Home Inspectors inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. The median pay is $74,690 a year ($35.91 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (36% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$74,690
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
146,720
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 3 of 5
medium preparation
Most common education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
36% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Construction and Building Inspectors (O*NET-SOC 47-4011.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Home Inspectors

SalaryHome Inspector salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeHome Inspector how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →Interview questionsHome Inspector interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What home inspectors do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Approve building plans that meet required specifications.
  2. Review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations.
  3. Issue permits for construction, relocation, demolition, or occupancy.
  4. Monitor installation of plumbing, wiring, equipment, or appliances to ensure that installation is performed properly and is in compliance with applicable regulations.
  5. Inspect and monitor construction sites to ensure adherence to safety standards, building codes, or specifications.
  6. Confer with owners, violators, or authorities to explain regulations or recommend remedial actions.
  7. Measure dimensions and verify level, alignment, or elevation of structures or fixtures to ensure compliance to building plans and codes.
  8. Maintain daily logs and supplement inspection records with photographs.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingcoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingSystems EvaluationTime ManagementPersuasion

Knowledge areas: Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Design, Law and Government.

Tools and technology

Software home inspectors use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Arc Second PocketCADComputer aided design CAD software
  • Automated permit system softwareCompliance software
  • ESRI ArcViewGeographic information system
  • Mobile building inspection softwareData base reporting software
  • NorthWest Builders Network Plan AnalystCompliance software
  • OptaSoft Commercial Building InspectorCompliance software
  • Trimble Digital FieldbookMap creation software
  • Vision SoftwareProcurement software
  • Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareIn demand

Also called: Building Inspector, Building Code Administrator, Building Official, Code Enforcement Officer, Code Inspector, Combination Building Inspector.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).