Construction and Extraction · Holland code RCI

Construction and Building Inspectors

Inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. Inspections may be general in nature or may be limited to a specific area, such as electrical systems or plumbing.

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

O*NET 47-4011.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $74,690; Middle half earn $58,860 to $94,710. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED); 36% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: -1% · Decline; 147,600 jobs in 2024, projected 146,500. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Construction and building inspectors".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Approve building plans that meet required specifications.
Review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations.
Issue permits for construction, relocation, demolition, or occupancy.
Inspect bridges, dams, highways, buildings, wiring, plumbing, electrical circuits, sewers, heating systems, or foundations during and after construction for structural quality, general safety, or conformance to specifications and codes.
Monitor installation of plumbing, wiring, equipment, or appliances to ensure that installation is performed properly and is in compliance with applicable regulations.
Inspect and monitor construction sites to ensure adherence to safety standards, building codes, or specifications.
Confer with owners, violators, or authorities to explain regulations or recommend remedial actions.
Measure dimensions and verify level, alignment, or elevation of structures or fixtures to ensure compliance to building plans and codes.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Speaking3.8 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5
Active Learning3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction4.7 / 5
Public Safety and Security4.0 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
Design3.5 / 5
Law and Government3.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic86
Investigative52
Artistic4
Social8
Enterprising19
Conventional74

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

bridge inspector · DE Brückenwärter/Brückenwärterin · FR inspecteur de ponts/inspectrice de ponts
building inspector · DE Baukontrolleur/Baukontrolleurin · FR inspecteur technique d’immeubles/inspectrice technique d’immeubles
construction quality inspector · DE Qualitätskontrolleur Bau/Qualitätskontrolleurin Bau · FR inspecteur qualité construction/inspectrice qualité construction
construction safety inspector · DE Kontrolleur Baustellensicherheit/Kontrolleurin Baustellensicherheit · FR superviseur sécurité chantier/superviseuse sécurité chantier
utilities inspector · DE Netzkontrolleur/Netzkontrolleurin · FR inspecteur de réseau de distribution/inspectrice de réseau de distribution

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Building and civil engineering technicians (3114)20,100 employed
Quality assurance technicians (3115)36,100 employed
Science, engineering and production technicians n.e.c. (3119)38,000 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.29. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-4011).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test