Transportation Inspectors Salary
In St. Louis, MO-IL, transportation inspectors earn $77,990 at the median, or about $37.5 an hour. The range runs from $41K at the entry level to $153K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $82,017 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 23.8% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $78K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). 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 transportation inspectors
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for transportation inspectors in St. Louis runs about 15% below the U.S. median of $92K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 24.2% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Lower pay, lower costs, St. Louis can be a reasonable trade-off for transportation inspectorss who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for transportation inspectors in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $68K | $74K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $55K | $53K |
| Oklahoma City | $110K | $122K |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $85K | $89K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level transportation inspectors (10th percentile) start around $41K. Mid-career wages sit at $78K. Top earners bring in $153K or more, a $113K spread from bottom to top.
Transportation Inspectors pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Transportation Inspectors salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $123K | +34% | 170 |
| Iowa | $117K | +27% | 60 |
| Oklahoma | $111K | +21% | 470 |
| Hawaii | $108K | +18% | 150 |
| Alabama | $108K | +17% | 670 |
| North Dakota | $106K | +15% | 60 |
| Washington | $104K | +13% | 490 |
| Kansas | $103K | +12% | 210 |
| Florida | $101K | +10% | 1,630 |
| Texas | $101K | +10% | 2,290 |
| Maryland | $101K | +9% | 250 |
| Georgia | $95K | +3% | 880 |
| New York | $93K | +1% | 3,720 |
| Minnesota | $93K | +1% | 310 |
| Connecticut | $92K | -1% | 330 |
| District of Columbia | $90K | -2% | 150 |
| Arkansas | $85K | -8% | 120 |
| North Carolina | $84K | -8% | 380 |
| Kentucky | $84K | -9% | 260 |
| California | $83K | -10% | 1,790 |
| Colorado | $82K | -11% | 460 |
| Pennsylvania | $82K | -11% | 340 |
| South Carolina | $80K | -13% | 440 |
| Indiana | $80K | -13% | 250 |
| Massachusetts | $80K | -14% | N/A |
| Tennessee | $78K | -15% | 420 |
| Oregon | $78K | -15% | 250 |
| Louisiana | $77K | -16% | 130 |
| Ohio | $77K | -16% | 430 |
| Wisconsin | $75K | -18% | 120 |
| South Dakota | $70K | -24% | 100 |
| Virginia | $69K | -26% | 330 |
| Missouri | $65K | -30% | 380 |
| Utah | $64K | -30% | 210 |
| Maine | $64K | -31% | 90 |
| New Mexico | $64K | -31% | 230 |
| Montana | $63K | -32% | 180 |
| Arizona | $62K | -32% | 830 |
| West Virginia | $59K | -36% | 90 |
| Idaho | $54K | -41% | 170 |
| Nevada | $50K | -46% | 430 |
| New Jersey | $49K | -47% | 930 |
| Illinois | $48K | -48% | 1,130 |
| Michigan | $36K | -61% | 540 |
Showing 1–10 of 44 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track transportation inspectors salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a transportation inspector afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $78K, rent takes 24.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for transportation inspectors in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new transportation inspectors typically earn — is $41K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,443/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 50% 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 St. Louis?
Local pay runs 15% below the national median — $78K here vs. $92K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for transportation inspectors?
St. Louis pays $78K median vs. the U.S. average of $92K — that’s -15%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $82K — below the national median.
How much do transportation inspectors make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $77,990 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,710, and experienced transportation inspectors can clear $153,210. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $78K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,027/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 24.2% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a transportation inspectors salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (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 $82,017 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.