Best degree programs for Fire Inspectors and Investigators, ranked by enrollment
3 college programs and 358 schools train Fire Inspectors and Investigators. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $75,920 median wage, 13,800 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
3 college programs at 358 schools train fire inspectors and investigators, graduating 13,964 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Fire Science/Fire-fighting. The job pays a median of $75,920 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About fire inspectors and investigators
Inspect buildings to detect fire hazards and enforce local ordinances and state laws, or investigate and gather facts to determine cause of fires and explosions.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
3 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fire Science/Fire-fightingmain feeder CIP 43.0203 | 10,359 | 74.2% | 275 | $48,952 | $12,750 |
| 2 | CIP 43.0201 | 3,558 | 25.5% | 140 | $48,952 | $12,750 |
| 3 | Fire/Arson Investigation and Preventionmain feeder CIP 43.0205 | 47 | 0.3% | 5 | $48,952 | $12,750 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What fire inspectors and investigators earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $99,230 | 1,350 | 0.83× | 57 | 3,667 |
| Florida | $75,660 | 1,060 | 1.20× | 33 | 2,488 |
| Texas | $82,390 | 1,030 | 0.82× | 29 | 1,748 |
| Ohio | $59,280 | 520 | 1.06× | 24 | 979 |
| Alabamalimited | $78,110 | 40 | 0.21× | 2 | 721 |
| Illinois | $62,400 | 440 | 0.80× | 19 | 544 |
| Colorado | $85,750 | — | — | 8 | 471 |
| Kentucky | $55,970 | 100 | 0.58× | 11 | 284 |
| North Carolina | $66,820 | 870 | 1.98× | 18 | 250 |
| Arizona | $74,780 | 240 | 0.84× | 11 | 222 |
| Kansas | $64,290 | 90 | 0.73× | 7 | 216 |
| Massachusetts | $81,140 | 200 | 0.62× | 10 | 189 |
| Oklahoma | $37,320 | 160 | 1.08× | 8 | 177 |
| Indianamoderate | $73,340 | 200 | 0.72× | 3 | 154 |
| Minnesota | $84,410 | 230 | 0.88× | 5 | 154 |
| Wisconsin | $66,600 | 160 | 0.63× | 9 | 148 |
| Michigan | $77,460 | 250 | 0.63× | 9 | 131 |
| Iowa | $81,860 | 30 | 0.22× | 5 | 105 |
| Tennesseelimited | $63,400 | 390 | 1.35× | 2 | 103 |
| Utahmoderate | $72,760 | 60 | 0.37× | 3 | 90 |
| New Mexico | $64,680 | 160 | 2.05× | 6 | 88 |
| Georgia | $64,550 | 300 | 0.69× | 8 | 85 |
| Washington | $122,900 | 380 | 1.19× | 7 | 85 |
| Oregon | $115,080 | — | — | 10 | 83 |
| Nevadamoderate | $93,450 | 190 | 1.39× | 3 | 69 |
| Missourimoderate | $77,240 | 110 | 0.41× | 4 | 63 |
| West Virginialimited | $52,490 | 70 | 1.08× | 2 | 62 |
| Arkansaslimited | $57,990 | 40 | 0.31× | 2 | 45 |
| Mainelimited | $58,240 | — | — | 2 | 43 |
| Idahomoderate | $72,810 | 30 | 0.42× | 4 | 41 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $73,920 | 1,200 | 1.40× | 4 | 41 |
| Nebraskalimited | $76,770 | 60 | 0.61× | 1 | 40 |
| Virginiamoderate | $70,460 | 100 | 0.27× | 3 | 40 |
| Connecticutlimited | $80,490 | 420 | 2.81× | 2 | 38 |
| New Jersey | $60,100 | 1,290 | 3.39× | 5 | 36 |
| Mississippilimited | $55,260 | 140 | 1.40× | 1 | 25 |
| Louisianalimited | $64,820 | 80 | 0.47× | 2 | 24 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $75,230 | 50 | 0.78× | 1 | 23 |
| Pennsylvaniamoderate | $59,080 | 280 | 0.52× | 3 | 13 |
| Marylandmoderate | $98,730 | 270 | 1.08× | 3 | 9 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $78,100 | 50 | 1.16× | 1 | 8 |
| North Dakotalimited | $80,320 | 40 | 1.02× | 2 | 3 |
| South Carolinalimited | $61,890 | 110 | 0.53× | 2 | 2 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Prepare and maintain reports of investigation results, and records of convicted arsonists and arson suspects.
- Testify in court cases involving fires, suspected arson, and false alarms.
- Package collected pieces of evidence in securely closed containers, such as bags, crates, or boxes, to protect them.
- Conduct inspections and acceptance testing of newly installed fire protection systems.
- Analyze evidence and other information to determine probable cause of fire or explosion.
- Photograph damage and evidence related to causes of fires or explosions to document investigation findings.
- Inspect buildings to locate hazardous conditions and fire code violations, such as accumulations of combustible material, electrical wiring problems, and inadequate or non-functional fire exits.
- Examine fire sites and collect evidence such as glass, metal fragments, charred wood, and accelerant residue for use in determining the cause of a fire.
Skills
- Active Listening3.6
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Writing3.5
- Speaking3.5
- Reading Comprehension3.4
- Monitoring3.3
- Active Learning3.1
- Learning Strategies3.0
Knowledge areas
- Public Safety and Security4.7
- Customer and Personal Service4.3
- Building and Construction4.2
- Law and Government4.1
- Education and Training4.0
- English Language3.7
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity4.1
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Written Expression4.0
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression3.9
- Deductive Reasoning3.9
Core activities
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards4.7
- Performing for or Working Directly with the Public4.6
- Documenting/Recording Information4.6
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge4.5
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5
- Getting Information4.5
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Fire Inspector
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Fire Inspectors and Investigators3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 43.0201Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician
- 43.0203Fire Science/Fire-fighting
- 43.0205Fire/Arson Investigation and Prevention
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Fire Inspector?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Fire Science/Fire-fighting, which awarded 10,359 degrees in 2024-25, 74.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Fire Inspector?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Fire Protection. Together they graduate about 13,964 people a year.
How much do fire inspectors and investigators earn?+
The median is $75,920 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $46,530 at the 10th percentile to $118,750 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for fire inspectors and investigators growing?+
BLS projects a +3.8% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
358 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do fire inspectors and investigators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Fire Inspector, Fire Investigator, Arson Investigator, Fire Prevention Inspector among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 33-2021.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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