Transportation Inspectors build time management, judgment and decision making and complex problem solving skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Construction and Building Inspectors (77%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Construction and Building Inspectors | 77% | $74,690 | −19% | None |
| 2 | Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors | 74% | $115,160 | +25% | None |
| 3 | Government Property Inspectors and Investigators | 73% | $80,730Pay for the broader BLS group “Compliance Officers” | Not compared | None |
| 4 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 73% | $78,000 | −15% | None |
| 5 | Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers | 73% | $107,230 | +16% | None |
| 6 | Environmental Compliance Inspectors | 73% | $80,730Pay for the broader BLS group “Compliance Officers” | Not compared | None |
| 7 | Power Distributors and Dispatchers | 73% | $106,730 | +16% | None |
| 8 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 72% | $232,140 | +152% | None |
| 9 | Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | 72% | $112,230 | +22% | None |
| 10 | Industrial Engineers | 72% | $102,440 | +11% | None |
Compared with Transportation Inspectors, median $92,100. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as transportation inspectors (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
77% skill match · $74,690 · −19% pay
Operations Analysis · Negotiation · Persuasion
74% skill match · $115,160 · +25% pay
Systems Analysis · Instructing · Complex Problem Solving
73% skill match · $80,730 (broader BLS group)
Judgment and Decision Making · Operations Analysis · Service Orientation
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Construction and Building Inspectors (77% skill match, median $74,690), Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors (74% skill match, median $115,160) and Government Property Inspectors and Investigators (73% skill match, median $80,730), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 10 pay more than transportation inspectors at the median. The biggest increases: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (+152%, $232,140), Air Traffic Controllers (+61%, $148,080) and Petroleum Engineers (+57%, $144,910).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.