Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

33-2021 Fire Inspectors and Investigators

Inspect buildings to detect fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and State laws. Investigate and gather facts to determine cause of fires and explosions.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
12,320 2.5 % $22.76 $47,340 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $13.37 $17.14 $21.99 $27.82 $34.28
Annual Wage (2) $27,800 $35,640 $45,750 $57,860 $71,310

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Local government (OES designation) 9,590 $23.43 $48,720 1 2
State government (OES designation) 1,230 $19.61 $40,790 2 6
Investigation and security services 380 $22.96 $47,760 3 3
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 180 $17.98 $37,390 4 8
Colleges and universities 100 $18.76 $39,020 5 7

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Architectural and engineering services (6) $25.50 $53,040 (6) 1
Local government (OES designation) 9,590 $23.43 $48,720 1 2
Investigation and security services 380 $22.96 $47,760 3 3
Insurance agencies, brokerages, and related (6) $22.75 $47,310 (6) 4
Scientific research and development services 60 $21.41 $44,530 6 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Jersey 1,110 $23.07 $47,970 0.029% 257
Connecticut 270 $24.19 $50,310 0.016% 201
Louisiana 260 $15.11 $31,430 0.014% 343
Tennessee 340 $18.59 $38,680 0.013% 244
Rhode Island 60 $23.82 $49,550 0.013% 155

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 1,120 $31.19 $64,880 0.008% 144
Washington 290 $28.61 $59,510 0.011% 129
Illinois 540 $28.06 $58,370 0.009% 103
Michigan 230 $26.10 $54,280 0.005% 152
Nevada 110 $25.85 $53,760 0.010% 115

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Trenton, NJ PMSA 120 $27.24 $56,660 0.058%
Monmouth-Ocean, NJ PMSA 190 $26.23 $54,560 0.048%
Wilmington, NC MSA 40 $15.60 $32,440 0.036%
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 210 $21.47 $44,660 0.033%
Indianapolis, IN MSA 240 $12.86 $26,750 0.028%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 90 $41.50 $86,310 0.010%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 50 $37.34 $77,670 0.005%
St. Louis, MO-IL MSA 50 $34.41 $71,570 0.004%
Orange County, CA PMSA 100 $30.66 $63,780 0.007%
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA PMSA 160 $30.56 $63,560 0.012%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Protective Service Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004