Bridge and Lock Tenders
Median $57,700
Occupation · SOC 53-6051
Transportation Inspectors: pay and where the jobs are
What transportation inspectors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$92,100 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $88,540
- Median hourly wage
- $44.28
- Mean hourly wage
- $42.57
- Employment
- 24,500
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-6051.
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How much do transportation inspectors make?
The median annual wage for transportation inspectors was $92,100 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $40,330 and the highest-paid 10% more than $138,670. As an hourly rate, the median is $44.28. About 24,500 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Alaska ($123,120), Iowa ($116,850) and Oklahoma ($111,070). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Iowa.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for transportation inspectors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $40,330 | $19.39 | $3,361 | $2,882 |
| 25th percentile | $58,780 | $28.26 | $4,898 | $4,117 |
| Median | $92,100 | $44.28 | $7,675 | $6,135 |
| 75th percentile | $108,890 | $52.35 | $9,074 | $7,120 |
| 90th percentile | $138,670 | $66.67 | $11,556 | $8,837 |
Transportation Inspectors: pay by state
46 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$99,411 take-home in national prices
2
$93,935 take-home in national prices
3
$93,098 take-home in national prices
Where a median transportation inspector paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 170 | $123,120 | $81,540 | $164,260 | $95,148 | $92,955 |
| Iowa | 60 | $116,850 | $54,250 | $159,730 | $87,245 | $99,411 |
| Oklahoma | 470 | $111,070 | $107,370 | $139,840 | $82,515 | $93,935 |
| Hawaii | 150 | $108,270 | $51,960 | $151,670 | $78,183 | $71,107 |
| Alabama | 670 | $108,140 | $69,150 | $112,530 | $80,488 | $90,616 |
| North Dakota | 60 | $106,330 | $68,500 | $136,990 | $82,819 | $93,098 |
| Washington | 490 | $104,250 | $70,270 | $167,420 | $80,724 | $75,434 |
| Kansas | 210 | $103,380 | $39,850 | $132,830 | $76,589 | $85,035 |
| Florida | 1,630 | $101,470 | $54,300 | $141,460 | $80,214 | $77,566 |
| Texas | 2,290 | $101,440 | $43,020 | $149,430 | $80,193 | $82,625 |
| Maryland | 250 | $100,700 | $55,930 | $150,030 | $75,179 | $71,627 |
| Georgia | 880 | $95,030 | $40,460 | $141,150 | $71,690 | $74,450 |
| New York | 3,720 | $93,420 | $66,620 | $97,840 | $69,645 | $64,533 |
| Minnesota | 310 | $92,860 | $35,050 | $151,850 | $68,957 | $69,922 |
| Connecticut | 330 | $91,520 | $66,910 | $126,820 | $68,473 | $66,087 |
| District of Columbia | 150 | $89,960 | $56,820 | $185,220 | $67,439 | $61,363 |
| Arkansas | 120 | $85,130 | $35,460 | $119,180 | $66,057 | $75,982 |
| North Carolina | 380 | $84,470 | $35,220 | $136,970 | $65,393 | $69,327 |
| Kentucky | 260 | $83,970 | $42,130 | $136,990 | $65,082 | $72,185 |
| California | 1,790 | $83,000 | $40,790 | $144,460 | $62,668 | $56,600 |
| Colorado | 460 | $81,820 | $37,470 | $148,820 | $63,139 | $61,269 |
| Pennsylvania | 340 | $81,550 | $55,030 | $161,470 | $63,640 | $65,223 |
| South Carolina | 440 | $80,490 | $67,920 | $100,420 | $62,433 | $66,596 |
| Indiana | 250 | $80,330 | $36,430 | $134,720 | $63,002 | $67,505 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | $79,650 | $39,010 | $113,760 | $60,735 | $57,429 |
| Tennessee | 420 | $78,430 | $40,410 | $135,220 | $64,006 | $69,670 |
| Oregon | 250 | $78,110 | $48,840 | $140,030 | $58,045 | $56,157 |
| Louisiana | 130 | $77,460 | $29,160 | $136,990 | $61,386 | $69,593 |
| Ohio | 430 | $77,010 | $37,700 | $143,040 | $61,332 | $66,109 |
| Wisconsin | 120 | $75,260 | $69,050 | $134,670 | $58,816 | $62,508 |
| South Dakota | 100 | $70,080 | $47,340 | $141,130 | $58,131 | $65,621 |
| Virginia | 330 | $68,610 | $47,540 | $142,480 | $53,966 | $53,377 |
| Missouri | 380 | $64,690 | $44,370 | $136,970 | $52,055 | $57,319 |
| Utah | 210 | $64,480 | $41,970 | $140,470 | $51,485 | $52,076 |
| Maine | 90 | $63,750 | $42,420 | $159,830 | $50,459 | $51,993 |
| New Mexico | 230 | $63,690 | $33,360 | $113,460 | $51,527 | $55,879 |
| Montana | 180 | $62,810 | $37,860 | $124,850 | $50,452 | $53,307 |
| Arizona | 830 | $62,250 | $34,800 | $132,270 | $51,035 | $50,692 |
| West Virginia | 90 | $58,670 | $44,490 | $128,670 | $47,511 | $53,087 |
| Idaho | 170 | $54,330 | $39,800 | $156,640 | $44,063 | $46,142 |
| Guam | 70 | $52,540 | $36,360 | $76,450 | — | — |
| Nevada | 430 | $50,060 | $44,670 | $119,100 | $42,403 | $42,412 |
| New Jersey | 930 | $49,250 | $37,010 | $105,680 | $40,182 | $36,930 |
| Illinois | 1,130 | $47,990 | $36,500 | $129,600 | $38,509 | $38,525 |
| Michigan | 540 | $35,890 | $33,440 | $139,390 | $29,743 | $30,912 |
| Puerto Rico | 250 | $29,760 | $26,250 | $59,750 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-6051. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.