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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020

33-2021 Fire Inspectors and Investigators

Inspect buildings to detect fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and state laws, or investigate and gather facts to determine cause of fires and explosions.


National estimates for Fire Inspectors and Investigators
Industry profile for Fire Inspectors and Investigators
Geographic profile for Fire Inspectors and Investigators

National estimates for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
14,010 3.8 % $ 32.54 $ 67,680 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 19.16 $ 24.15 $ 31.06 $ 39.33 $ 48.45
Annual Wage (2) $ 39,860 $ 50,230 $ 64,610 $ 81,800 $ 100,780


Industry profile for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Fire Inspectors and Investigators are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Fire Inspectors and Investigators, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 10,240 0.19 $ 33.18 $ 69,010
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 1,210 0.05 $ 30.54 $ 63,530
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 170 0.01 $ 27.84 $ 57,900
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 110 0.01 $ 34.60 $ 71,970
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 90 0.02 $ 36.71 $ 76,360

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 10,240 0.19 $ 33.18 $ 69,010
State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 1,210 0.05 $ 30.54 $ 63,530
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 90 0.02 $ 36.71 $ 76,360
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 110 0.01 $ 34.60 $ 71,970
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 170 0.01 $ 27.84 $ 57,900

Top paying industries for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services 40 (7) $ 48.56 $ 101,000
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing 90 0.02 $ 36.71 $ 76,360
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services 110 0.01 $ 34.60 $ 71,970
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 10,240 0.19 $ 33.18 $ 69,010
Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (8) (8) $ 32.97 $ 68,580


Geographic profile for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Fire Inspectors and Investigators are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Fire Inspectors and Investigators, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Florida 2,360 0.28 2.77 $ 29.78 $ 61,940
Texas 1,620 0.13 1.33 $ 33.27 $ 69,190
New Jersey 1,590 0.42 4.18 $ 28.86 $ 60,030
New York 1,090 0.12 1.24 $ 33.73 $ 70,150
California 660 0.04 0.40 $ 52.81 $ 109,850




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 1,590 0.42 4.18 $ 28.86 $ 60,030
Florida 2,360 0.28 2.77 $ 29.78 $ 61,940
Delaware 100 0.23 2.32 $ 27.26 $ 56,710
Connecticut 270 0.18 1.76 $ 37.49 $ 77,970
Texas 1,620 0.13 1.33 $ 33.27 $ 69,190




Top paying states for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 660 0.04 0.40 $ 52.81 $ 109,850
Idaho 40 0.06 0.57 $ 49.67 $ 103,310
Oregon 180 0.10 0.98 $ 47.90 $ 99,630
Washington 130 0.04 0.40 $ 46.47 $ 96,660
Nevada 120 0.10 0.99 $ 43.53 $ 90,550





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,960 0.22 2.20 $ 30.83 $ 64,120
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,650 0.66 6.54 $ 30.41 $ 63,240
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 680 0.68 6.74 $ 37.14 $ 77,250
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 400 0.15 1.47 $ 28.27 $ 58,800
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 280 0.09 0.93 $ 35.56 $ 73,970
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 250 0.04 0.42 $ 62.40 $ 129,790
El Paso, TX 240 0.79 7.83 $ 23.72 $ 49,340
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 210 0.07 0.68 $ 33.50 $ 69,690
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 190 0.11 1.07 $ 36.55 $ 76,020
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 180 0.83 8.29 $ 24.87 $ 51,730




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 180 0.83 8.29 $ 24.87 $ 51,730
El Paso, TX 240 0.79 7.83 $ 23.72 $ 49,340
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX 680 0.68 6.74 $ 37.14 $ 77,250
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 1,650 0.66 6.54 $ 30.41 $ 63,240
Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI 30 0.28 2.73 $ 30.30 $ 63,020
Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ 30 0.27 2.69 (8) (8)
Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL 30 0.23 2.32 $ 35.63 $ 74,120
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,960 0.22 2.20 $ 30.83 $ 64,120
Asheville, NC 40 0.21 2.10 $ 27.88 $ 57,990
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT 110 0.21 2.04 $ 36.44 $ 75,800




Top paying metropolitan areas for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 250 0.04 0.42 $ 62.40 $ 129,790
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 80 0.03 0.34 $ 59.43 $ 123,610
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 100 0.09 0.89 $ 49.22 $ 102,370
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 100 0.11 1.14 $ 44.96 $ 93,510
Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT 60 0.15 1.54 $ 43.97 $ 91,460
Oklahoma City, OK 40 0.07 0.72 $ 42.79 $ 89,000
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA 60 0.06 0.58 $ 42.62 $ 88,650
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 40 0.03 0.27 $ 39.93 $ 83,050
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 40 0.03 0.29 $ 38.75 $ 80,600
New Haven, CT 40 0.15 1.46 $ 37.37 $ 77,740

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 7.89 $ 29.84 $ 62,060
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 50 0.25 2.52 (8) (8)
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 40 0.16 1.55 $ 23.62 $ 49,120
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 30 0.13 1.28 $ 24.41 $ 50,770

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 7.89 $ 29.84 $ 62,060
Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area 50 0.25 2.52 (8) (8)
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 40 0.16 1.55 $ 23.62 $ 49,120
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 30 0.13 1.28 $ 24.41 $ 50,770

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Fire Inspectors and Investigators:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 80 0.79 7.89 $ 29.84 $ 62,060
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 30 0.13 1.28 $ 24.41 $ 50,770
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 40 0.16 1.55 $ 23.62 $ 49,120
West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $ 17.38 $ 36,160


About May 2020 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2020 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2020 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2021