Fire Inspectors and Investigators Salary
Fire Inspectors and Investigators in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC make a median of $75,470 a year, or about $36.28 an hour. The range runs from $43K at the entry level to $96K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.57), that's roughly $77,350 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,711/month, about 33.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $75K actually covers in Durham-Chapel Hill, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Durham-Chapel Hill’s Regional Price Parity (97.57). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About fire inspectors and investigators
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What this looks like in Durham-Chapel Hill
Fire inspectors and investigators pay in Durham-Chapel Hill tracks closely to the national median, $75K locally vs. $76K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,711/month, which is 35.4% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 97.57) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for fire inspectors and investigators in metros near Durham-Chapel Hill, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia | $77K | $79K |
| Raleigh-Cary | $77K | $79K |
| Wilmington | $45K | $47K |
| Winston-Salem | $64K | $69K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Entry-level fire inspectors and investigators (10th percentile) start around $43K. Mid-career wages sit at $75K. Top earners bring in $96K or more, a $53K spread from bottom to top.
Fire Inspectors and Investigators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Fire Inspectors and Investigators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $123K | +62% | 380 |
| Oregon | $115K | +52% | N/A |
| California | $99K | +31% | 1,350 |
| Maryland | $99K | +30% | 270 |
| Nevada | $93K | +23% | 190 |
| Colorado | $86K | +13% | N/A |
| Minnesota | $84K | +11% | 230 |
| Texas | $82K | +9% | 1,030 |
| Iowa | $82K | +8% | 30 |
| Massachusetts | $81K | +7% | 200 |
| Connecticut | $80K | +6% | 420 |
| North Dakota | $80K | +6% | 40 |
| Alabama | $78K | +3% | 40 |
| Rhode Island | $78K | +3% | 50 |
| Michigan | $77K | +2% | 250 |
| Missouri | $77K | +2% | 110 |
| Nebraska | $77K | +1% | 60 |
| Florida | $76K | -0% | 1,060 |
| New Hampshire | $75K | -1% | 50 |
| Arizona | $75K | -2% | 240 |
| New York | $74K | -3% | 1,200 |
| Indiana | $73K | -3% | 200 |
| Idaho | $73K | -4% | 30 |
| Utah | $73K | -4% | 60 |
| Virginia | $70K | -7% | 100 |
| North Carolina | $67K | -12% | 870 |
| Wisconsin | $67K | -12% | 160 |
| Louisiana | $65K | -15% | 80 |
| New Mexico | $65K | -15% | 160 |
| Georgia | $65K | -15% | 300 |
| Kansas | $64K | -15% | 90 |
| Tennessee | $63K | -16% | 390 |
| Illinois | $62K | -18% | 440 |
| South Carolina | $62K | -18% | 110 |
| New Jersey | $60K | -21% | 1,290 |
| Ohio | $59K | -22% | 520 |
| Pennsylvania | $59K | -22% | 280 |
| Maine | $58K | -23% | N/A |
| Arkansas | $58K | -24% | 40 |
| Kentucky | $56K | -26% | 100 |
| Mississippi | $55K | -27% | 140 |
| West Virginia | $52K | -31% | 70 |
| Oklahoma | $37K | -51% | 160 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track fire inspectors and investigators salary changes
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a fire inspectors and investigator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Durham-Chapel Hill?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $75K, rent takes 35.4% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,711/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for fire inspectors and investigators in Durham-Chapel Hill?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new fire inspectors and investigators typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,883/month. At HUD’s $1,711/month FMR, rent would take 59% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is fire inspectors and investigator a high-paying job in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $75K locally vs. $76K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Durham-Chapel Hill compare to the national average for fire inspectors and investigators?
Durham-Chapel Hill pays $75K median vs. the U.S. average of $76K — that’s -1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.57), the purchasing-power equivalent is $77K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do fire inspectors and investigators make in Durham-Chapel Hill, NC?
The median is $75,470 a year, that works out to about $36 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $42,930, and experienced fire inspectors and investigators can clear $96,240. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $75K enough to live in Durham-Chapel Hill?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,840/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,711/month, which eats 35.4% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a fire inspectors and investigators salary go in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Durham-Chapel Hill has a Regional Price Parity of 97.57 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median fire inspectors and investigators salary is worth about $77,350 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do fire inspectors and investigators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.