Protective Service
Fire Inspectors
SOC 33-2021
Inspect buildings for fire safety and investigate how fires started.
The job
Median pay
$76k
$59k to $95k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+4.2% projected
Openings a year
2k
BLS projection
Typical education
High school plus experience
Our model
AI displacement risk
Moderate
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
7/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
19th pct
More exposed than 19% of occupations · modeled estimate · 38th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
57/100
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 1,350 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $99k |
| New Jersey | 1,290 | 0.3 | 3.4× | $60k |
| New York | 1,200 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $74k |
| Florida | 1,060 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $76k |
| Texas | 1,030 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $82k |
| North Carolina | 870 | 0.2 | 2.0× | $67k |
| Ohio | 520 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $59k |
| Illinois | 440 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $62k |
| Connecticut | 420 | 0.2 | 2.8× | $80k |
| Tennessee | 390 | 0.1 | 1.3× | $63k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 380 | 0.1 | 1.2× | $123k |
| Georgia | 300 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $65k |
| Pennsylvania | 280 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $59k |
| Maryland | 270 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $99k |
| Michigan | 250 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $77k |
| Colorado | 241 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $86k~ |
| Arizona | 240 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $75k |
| Minnesota | 230 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $84k |
| Indiana | 200 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $73k |
| Massachusetts | 200 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $81k |
| Nevada | 190 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $93k |
| New Mexico | 160 | 0.2 | 2.1× | $65k |
| Oklahoma | 160 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $37k |
| Wisconsin | 160 | 0.1 | 0.6× | $67k |
| Mississippi | 140 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $55k |
| Oregon | 140 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $115k~ |
| Missouri | 110 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $77k |
| South Carolina | 110 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $62k |
| Washington DC | 108 | 0.2 | 1.7× | $112k~ |
| Kentucky | 100 | 0.0 | 0.6× | $56k |
| Virginia | 100 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $70k |
| Kansas | 90 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Louisiana | 80 | 0.0 | 0.5× | $65k |
| Hawaii | 76 | 0.1 | 1.4× | $85k~ |
| West Virginia | 70 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $52k |
| Nebraska | 60 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $77k |
| Utah | 60 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $73k |
| New Hampshire | 50 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $75k |
| Rhode Island | 50 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $78k |
| Maine | 45 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $58k~ |
| Alabama | 40 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $78k |
| Arkansas | 40 | 0.0 | 0.3× | $58k |
| North Dakota | 40 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $80k |
| Delaware | 38 | 0.1 | 0.9× | $78k~ |
| Montana | 35 | 0.1 | 0.8× | $87k~ |
| Alaska | 31 | 0.1 | 1.1× | $105k~ |
| Idaho | 30 | 0.0 | 0.4× | $73k |
| Iowa | 30 | 0.0 | 0.2× | $82k |
| South Dakota | 28 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $79k~ |
| Wyoming | 26 | 0.1 | 1.0× | $84k~ |
| Vermont | 18 | 0.1 | 0.7× | $86k~ |
Top metro areas
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ1,720 jobs · $66k median
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX410 jobs · $82k median
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN350 jobs · $62k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL350 jobs · $88k median
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD330 jobs · $59k median
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX290 jobs · $95k median
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA270 jobs · $100k median
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA270 jobs · $129k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Fire Inspectors interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.