Pressure vessel inspector pay (BLS and posted salaries)
✓ Checked 17 Oct 2026 against BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and government employer vacancy pages.
There is no API 510 credential-specific salary figure in the BLS sources cited here. Use a broad inspection occupation as background, then compare actual jobs whose duties include pressure vessels. Neither a national occupational average nor an advertised pay range proves what you will earn after certification.
A BLS benchmark with a clear boundary
✓ For SOC 47-4011, Construction and Building Inspectors, the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released 15 May 2026, report a national mean wage of $37.37 hourly and $77,730 annually, and a median hourly wage of $35.91. These are the figures in BLS national Table 1, retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
This is a broad construction-inspection comparison, not a classification claim for every pressure vessel job. BLS's occupational profile describes a wider field of inspection work. Its data do not isolate API 510 holders, refinery inspectors or certification-linked raises. Keep the occupation name beside any figure you quote so the benchmark does not become an unsupported specialist salary.
The mean is an average; the median is the midpoint. Compare mean with mean when looking at another area. A national estimate is useful for orientation, but a job's duties, location and employment terms matter more when assessing an offer.
Government-posted salaries for related work
These examples are employer-published ranges for jobs involving boilers and pressure vessels. They are snapshots, not a representative salary survey or a list of currently available vacancies.
- ✓ New York City Department of Buildings, Boiler Inspector: $62,244–$71,581 annually. The posting, dated 29 July 2026, describes inspecting steam boilers and other pressure vessels. It is marked expired. NYC vacancy, job ID 788429.
- ✓ State of Hawaii, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Boiler Inspector, Oahu: $5,338–$6,754 monthly. Recruitment 26-057 opened 5 February 2026. Its duties include boiler and pressure vessel inspection; the announcement makes hiring rates dependent on qualifications, funding and other factors. The document's continuous closing label does not confirm that a vacancy remains available. Hawaii vacancy announcement.
These are public-sector inspection roles with their own qualification requirements. Do not relabel either range as an API 510 salary. Read the full qualification section before using a posting to plan a career move. A related equipment responsibility does not establish that the employer accepts a particular credential as a substitute for its listed requirements.
Compare base pay and total compensation separately
BLS's OEWS definitions exclude overtime pay, on-call pay and shift differentials. Meal and lodging payments are also excluded. A travel assignment's headline earnings can therefore describe a different pay basis from the OEWS benchmark.
For each offer, record the base hourly or salary rate, expected paid hours, overtime terms, travel reimbursements and benefits. Check whether an allowance reimburses a cost you must incur. Keep guaranteed compensation separate from earnings that depend on extra hours or assignments.
Also record the practical conditions: travel frequency, shift pattern, site access, reporting workload and who signs inspection decisions. Use the vacancy's actual duties to compare roles rather than relying on a shared inspector title. Do not assume the top of a published band is the starting rate available to a new hire.
What would certification change for you?
Before budgeting for preparation, identify the job requirement you are trying to meet. Check whether the employer requires API 510 at appointment, supports obtaining it later, or requires a different commission or license. Keep any employer-specific pay policy separate from national wage data.
Use the schedule and fees guide to plan exam costs and the Body of Knowledge guide to understand preparation scope. The API 510 diagnostic can help organize study priorities. Return to the Long Seam overview for the broader preparation sequence.
Sources
Show the list
- Table 1: National Employment and Wage Data, May 2025 OEWS, Construction and Building Inspectors, SOC 47-4011, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2026 release. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released 15 May 2026. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- Construction and Building Inspectors, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- OEWS Frequently Asked Questions, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- Boiler Inspector, vacancy 788429, City of New York, Department of Buildings. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
- Boiler Inspector, Oahu, recruitment 26-057, State of Hawaii, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Retrieved 17 Oct 2026.
Facts checked 17 October 2026 against the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
Know the requirements? Test the knowledge.Take a free check weighted to the published outline and see your score by domain.