Construction Inspector pay in California
What construction and building inspectors earn in California: pay for the state and 23 metro areas, plus job counts and 44 listed training programs.
- $103,850Average across all experience levels (state)
- $56,220Entry-level / bottom 10%
- $101,290Median pay (state)
- $161,550Top 10% earn over
13,420 jobs in California.
Pay by percentile
Construction Inspector pay in California
Annual wages.
| Area | 10th pct | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Mean | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $56,220 | $76,160 | $101,290 | $128,530 | $161,550 | $103,850 | 13,420 |
| United States | $47,140 | $58,860 | $74,690 | $94,710 | $114,200 | $77,730 | 146,720 |
Metro areas
| Area | 10th pct | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | Mean | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $58,990 | $87,340 | $129,750 | $161,270 | $183,710 | $124,420 | 860 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $76,000 | $96,800 | $125,130 | $144,020 | $175,460 | $123,300 | 2,380 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $59,540 | $83,430 | $112,550 | $158,100 | $165,150 | $116,130 | 210 |
| Vallejo, CA | $59,400 | $78,230 | $108,180 | $129,250 | $154,670 | $106,740 | 190 |
| Napa, CA | $59,910 | $79,820 | $106,410 | $116,170 | $124,580 | $102,640 | 50 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $60,820 | $79,980 | $103,980 | $124,000 | $161,550 | $104,680 | 1,060 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $52,950 | $80,070 | $102,060 | $123,700 | $181,160 | $110,080 | 140 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $63,740 | $83,010 | $101,340 | $111,890 | $141,420 | $99,640 | 130 |
| Salinas, CA | $69,830 | $83,610 | $100,830 | $118,460 | $148,640 | $104,660 | 90 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $50,630 | $72,180 | $100,280 | $121,210 | $158,480 | $99,710 | 3,870 |
| Yuba City, CA | $53,890 | $76,380 | $100,240 | $129,070 | $153,490 | $98,360 | 40 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $47,850 | $57,390 | $98,680 | $111,200 | $133,260 | $91,890 | 60 |
At a glance
How California compares
| Rank by average pay | 1 of 53 states and territories with a BLS estimate |
|---|---|
| Average vs U.S. average | +33.6% ($103,850 vs $77,730) |
| Median vs U.S. median | +35.6% ($101,290 vs $74,690) |
| Median hourly wage | $48.70 |
| Bottom 10% to top 10% | $56,220 to $161,550 |
| Jobs per 1,000 jobs in the state | 0.74 |
| Location quotient | 0.78 (less concentrated than the U.S. average of 1.00) |
| Metro areas with a BLS estimate | 23; highest median San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $129,750, lowest El Centro, CA $72,860 |
Training
Schools and apprenticeships in California
We matched 44 construction inspector training options in California: 44 school programs in the NCES IPEDS 2023-24 completions file (151 graduates that year) and 0 registered apprenticeship sponsors in the DOL Office of Apprenticeship partner file. Published annual tuition and fees at 44 of the schools range from $1,128 to $13,279 (College Scorecard). This site covers pay and careers; the school and apprenticeship directory lives on our sister site.
Veterans can compare trade schools approved for the GI Bill on VeteranTradeSchools.com.
Sources
Figures as of BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (released 2026-05-15) and BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 (released 2026-08-27).
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released 2026-05-15 (news release USDL-26-0725; data tables). Cross-checked against the BLS Public Data API on 2026-11-04.
- Occupation: O*NET OnLine, 47-4011.00 Construction and Building Inspectors, retrieved 2026-11-04 (CC BY 4.0).
- Apprenticeship sponsors: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship: partner sponsors file, retrieved 2026-10-29 (Partner Finder).
- Schools & graduates: U.S. Department of Education, NCES IPEDS Completions 2023-24 (C2024_A) and Institutional Characteristics (HD2024), award year 2023-24, matched by 6-digit CIP code (completions file; CIP-SOC crosswalk).
- Tuition: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (Most Recent Cohorts: Institution + Field of Study), data updated 2026-10-15, matched by IPEDS unit ID (source).
Program listings are matched from public files by occupation code or organization name; they are not endorsements and we have not visited or tested any program. Confirm schedules, entry requirements and costs with the program. Compiled by the HighPayingTrades Data Team; last refreshed 2026-11-04.