Brickmasons and Blockmasons vs Construction and Building Inspectors: $62K vs $75K Median Pay

Brickmasons and Blockmasons vs Construction and Building Inspectors: what changes?

Consider Brickmasons and Blockmasons if you want to lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances, to construct or repair walls, partitions…. Consider Construction and Building Inspectors if you would rather inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. Both list high school diploma or equivalent; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Construction and Building Inspectors (5 years or more).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Brickmasons and Blockmasons and Construction and Building Inspectors. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

National median pay (2025): $62,120
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements.
Work to investigate: Measure distance from reference points and mark guidelines to lay out work, using plumb bobs and levels.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 4,100

Know before you choose

The usual entry route includes an apprenticeship. Interest in the subject is not a substitute for supervised, paid training.

See the full Brickmasons and Blockmasons brief

Construction and Building Inspectors

National median pay (2025): $74,690
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Approve building plans that meet required specifications.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 14,800

Know before you choose

BLS lists 5 years or more of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Construction and Building Inspectors brief

How the national numbers differ

Construction and Building Inspectors has the edge on annual openings

Construction and Building Inspectors is at 14,800 annual openings, compared with 4,100 annual openings for Brickmasons and Blockmasons.

Typical preparation differs.

Brickmasons and Blockmasons: High school diploma or equivalent; Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements Construction and Building Inspectors: High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Construction and Building Inspectors has the edge on median pay

Construction and Building Inspectors is at $74,690, compared with $62,120 for Brickmasons and Blockmasons.

Brickmasons and Blockmasons has the edge on projected growth

Brickmasons and Blockmasons is at 1.1% projected growth, compared with 0% projected growth for Construction and Building Inspectors.

50.5/ 100

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

55.4/ 100

Construction and Building Inspectors

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Brickmasons and Blockmasons vs Construction and Building Inspectors

Dimension	Brickmasons and Blockmasons	Construction and Building Inspectors
Median pay (2025)	$62,120	$74,690
Pay percentile	51.6 percentile	64.7 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.1%	0%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	4,100	14,800
2025 employment	62,400	153,900
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements	High school diploma or equivalent; Prior related experience: 5 years or more; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior related experience: 5 years or more.
On-the-job training	Apprenticeship combines paid work and instruction; duration is not reported here. Check the full program and licensing requirements.	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Brickmasons and Blockmasons brief Read Construction and Building Inspectors brief

Brickmasons and Blockmasons vs Construction and Building Inspectors: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Brickmasons and Blockmasons

Construction and Building Inspectors

How the national numbers differ

Construction and Building Inspectors has the edge on annual openings

Typical preparation differs.

Construction and Building Inspectors has the edge on median pay

Brickmasons and Blockmasons has the edge on projected growth

Brickmasons and Blockmasons vs Construction and Building Inspectors

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