Transportation Inspectors Salary
In Illinois, transportation inspectors earn $47,990 at the median, or about $23.07 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $130K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $51,135 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 43% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Illinois. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $48K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About transportation inspectors
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What this looks like in Illinois
Pay for transportation inspectors in Illinois runs about 48% below the U.S. median of $92K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,407/month, which is 44.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.85 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for transportation inspectors.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Illinois
Entry-level transportation inspectors (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $48K. Top earners bring in $130K or more, a $93K spread from bottom to top.
Transportation Inspectors salary by metro in Illinois
2 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | $55K | +15% | 80 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $55K | +15% | 570 |
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a transportation inspector afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $48K, rent takes 44.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for transportation inspectors in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new transportation inspectors typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,463/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is transportation inspector a high-paying job in Illinois?
Local pay runs 48% below the national median — $48K here vs. $92K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for transportation inspectors?
Illinois pays $48K median vs. the U.S. average of $92K — that’s -48%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — below the national median.
How much do transportation inspectors make in Illinois?
The median is $47,990 a year, that works out to about $23 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,500, and experienced transportation inspectors can clear $129,600. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $48K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,185/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 44.2% 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 transportation inspectors salary go in Illinois?
Illinois has a Regional Price Parity of 93.85 (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 transportation inspectors salary is worth about $51,135 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do transportation inspectors 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.