Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.
The national median salary for Transportation Inspectors is $92,102 per year ($44.28/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $58,781 and $108,888 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $138,674 per year. There are approximately 24,500 transportation inspectors employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people. Includes rail transportation inspectors, such as freight inspectors, rail inspectors, and other inspectors of transportation vehicles not elsewhere classified.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+1.7%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
26K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
2% from new growth98% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999100
4K
$131,730
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
4K
$93,420
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
3K
$68,100
Support Activities for Air Transportation
NAICS 488100
3K
$79,620
Automotive Repair and Maintenance
NAICS 811100
2K
$40,810
Wage range across top 5 industries: $40,810 to $131,730 (223% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$19.39
$40,331
P25
$28.26
$58,781
P50MEDIAN
$44.28
$92,102
P75
$52.35
$108,888
P90
$66.67
$138,674
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average transportation inspectors salary?
The national median salary for Transportation Inspectors is $92,102 per year ($44.28/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $58,781 and $108,888 annually.
How much do top-earning transportation inspectors make?
The 90th percentile salary for Transportation Inspectors is $138,674 per year ($66.67/hr). The 75th percentile is $108,888 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for transportation inspectors?
Entry-level Transportation Inspectors (10th percentile) earn approximately $40,331 per year ($19.39/hr). The 25th percentile is $58,781 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.