How much do construction workers make?

Construction Worker salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Construction Laborers (SOC 47-2061) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Construction workers in the US earned a median of $47,120 a year ($22.66 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $38,620 to $59,740.

Median annual pay: $47,120; Mean $52,030
Median hourly pay: $22.66; Mean $25.02
Typical range (10th–90th): $35.1K–$78.1K; $35,090 to $78,090
US jobs: 1,096,780; +7.3% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a construction worker: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Hawaii

Construction Worker pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$35,090
25th percentile$38,620
Median$47,120
75th percentile$59,740
90th percentile$78,090

Half of all construction workers earned more than $47,120 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $35,090; the top 10% made over $78,090. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $38,620 to $59,740.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$35,090	$16.87	$2,924
25th	$38,620	$18.57	$3,218
Median (50th)	$47,120	$22.66	$3,927
75th	$59,740	$28.72	$4,978
90th	$78,090	$37.54	$6,508
Mean (average)	$52,030	$25.02	$4,336

Construction Worker salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for construction workers by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Hawaii $77,110
2. New Jersey $64,060
3. Massachusetts $63,390
4. Illinois $60,690
5. California $60,270

Lowest-paying states

51. Alabama $36,900
50. Arkansas $37,630
49. Mississippi $37,710
48. Louisiana $38,230
47. New Mexico $38,400

Best after cost of living: Hawaii. Its median of $77,110 is worth about $70,131 at national-average prices.


Alabama	$36,900	51	$41,543	50	$17.74	18,400	8.71
Alaska	$58,060	8	$56,722	9	$27.91	3,690	11.33
Arizona	$46,590	30	$46,277	37	$22.40	37,630	11.62
Arkansas	$37,630	50	$43,284	45	$18.09	10,650	8.17
California	$60,270	5	$54,435	14	$28.98	88,240	4.84
Colorado	$47,900	26	$46,481	36	$23.03	18,680	6.50
Connecticut	$58,290	7	$56,259	10	$28.03	7,360	4.34
Delaware	$45,550	36	$45,638	39	$21.90	3,240	6.69
District of Columbia	$50,020	17	$45,514	40	$24.05	2,090	2.98
Florida	$44,030	40	$42,576	47	$21.17	87,040	8.77
Georgia	$38,990	46	$40,491	51	$18.74	27,800	5.68
Hawaii	$77,110	1	$70,131	1	$37.07	4,580	7.29
Idaho	$46,940	29	$49,155	28	$22.57	10,850	12.65
Illinois	$60,690	4	$60,716	4	$29.18	35,940	5.89
Indiana	$50,070	16	$53,649	16	$24.07	28,600	8.93
Iowa	$48,490	25	$55,252	12	$23.31	13,780	8.84
Kansas	$44,840	38	$49,785	24	$21.56	9,990	6.95
Kentucky	$45,710	34	$50,699	22	$21.98	13,280	6.64
Louisiana	$38,230	48	$43,341	44	$18.38	22,100	11.42
Maine	$46,430	32	$47,841	32	$22.32	3,960	6.18
Maryland	$46,960	28	$44,741	42	$22.58	20,920	7.57
Massachusetts	$63,390	3	$59,939	6	$30.48	16,210	4.46
Michigan	$49,590	20	$51,540	21	$23.84	28,490	6.47
Minnesota	$60,260	6	$61,103	3	$28.97	28,530	9.67
Mississippi	$37,710	49	$43,368	43	$18.13	8,800	7.57
Missouri	$56,730	11	$62,466	2	$27.28	17,050	5.81
Montana	$49,830	19	$52,649	17	$23.96	4,590	8.97
Nebraska	$47,260	27	$52,451	18	$22.72	8,530	8.32
Nevada	$48,990	23	$49,000	29	$23.55	11,890	7.66
New Hampshire	$49,980	18	$47,982	31	$24.03	4,330	6.33
New Jersey	$64,060	2	$58,876	8	$30.80	23,590	5.50
New Mexico	$38,400	47	$41,643	49	$18.46	12,470	14.32
New York	$55,930	14	$51,825	19	$26.89	52,090	5.38
North Carolina	$44,720	39	$47,410	34	$21.50	35,620	7.21
North Dakota	$49,070	22	$55,160	13	$23.59	5,050	11.76
Ohio	$56,080	13	$60,448	5	$26.96	31,910	5.75
Oklahoma	$39,360	45	$44,807	41	$18.92	13,710	8.03
Oregon	$50,860	15	$49,206	27	$24.45	12,620	6.42
Pennsylvania	$49,400	21	$50,629	23	$23.75	35,920	5.92
Rhode Island	$57,240	10	$55,964	11	$27.52	2,110	4.21
South Carolina	$42,940	42	$45,803	38	$20.65	19,620	8.51
South Dakota	$45,710	35	$51,600	20	$21.98	1,780	3.89
Tennessee	$45,000	37	$48,982	30	$21.64	26,250	8.01
Texas	$40,620	44	$41,852	48	$19.53	123,250	8.76
Utah	$46,550	31	$47,085	35	$22.38	20,950	12.07
Vermont	$48,580	24	$49,593	26	$23.36	1,430	4.69
Virginia	$43,560	41	$43,084	46	$20.94	25,830	6.29
Washington	$57,720	9	$53,937	15	$27.75	25,060	7.06
West Virginia	$42,670	43	$47,678	33	$20.51	6,620	9.43
Wisconsin	$56,100	12	$59,621	7	$26.97	20,330	6.91
Wyoming	$46,030	33	$49,660	25	$22.13	3,350	11.94

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for construction workers

386 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
Vineland, NJ	$83,680	$87,196	440
Kahului-Wailuku, HI	$79,760	$72,911	630
Urban Honolulu, HI	$77,960	$70,259	3,040
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$72,610	$62,804	11,620
Trenton-Princeton, NJ	$71,920	$69,703	960
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$68,470	$62,007	4,420
St. Louis, MO-IL	$64,500	$67,832	8,670
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	$63,420	$58,578	11,580
Peoria, IL	$62,960	$69,012	1,020
Springfield, MA	$62,660	$65,229	880

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	50,870	$61,270	$54,432
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	34,080	$41,350	$41,925
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	29,670	$43,960	$42,642
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	29,230	$46,910	$45,404
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	26,690	$60,890	$58,777
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	21,730	$58,810	$51,785
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	18,280	$45,520	$39,876
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	17,710	$47,430	$43,560
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	17,330	$61,970	$59,119
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	16,460	$42,010	$41,986

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves construction worker pay: employers and settings

Construction laborer pay differs less by industry than by place. Medians are close across the main employers: $50,080 in highway, street and bridge construction and $49,940 in nonresidential building, compared with $46,550 in residential building.

Location makes the biggest difference. Hawaii has the highest state median at $77,110, followed by New Jersey at $64,060, Massachusetts at $63,390, and Illinois. At the bottom are Mississippi and Arkansas, with Alabama lowest at $36,900. Local construction demand and living costs differ widely between these states, and so does how much work is done under union contracts.

Across all laborers, the 10th percentile is $35,090, and the 90th is $78,090, a spread across the workforce in one year, not a schedule of raises with experience. Hours matter too: overtime raises yearly pay in busy seasons, while weather and gaps between projects can cut it. The hourly median is $22.66.

Where construction workers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Other Specialty Trade Contractors	17%	$47,410
Residential Building Construction	14%	$46,550
Utility System Construction	11.8%	$46,740
Nonresidential Building Construction	10.8%	$49,940
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors	10.4%	$47,070
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction	8.4%	$50,080

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	1,062,120	$47,130
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	3,290	$45,830
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	31,370	$47,370

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Construction Worker pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$47.1K $31.9K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $31,910 in 2015 to $47,120 in 2025, up 48% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $43,136 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 9% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What construction workers do

A construction worker, or construction laborer in official terms, does the physical work that keeps a building site or road job moving. Laborers clear and clean sites, unload materials, dig and backfill trenches, put up and take down scaffolding and bracing, mix and pour concrete, run jackhammers, saws and compactors, and help skilled tradespeople such as carpenters, masons and pipe layers.

The work covers every kind of construction. The largest groups work for specialty trade contractors, home builders, utility contractors that lay water, sewer and power lines, commercial builders, and highway and bridge contractors. On road crews, laborers often set up work zones and direct traffic. With more training, some handle explosives, tunnel-boring machines or laser pipe-setting equipment. The job is outdoors in heat, cold and rain, sometimes at heights or in trenches and other tight spaces, and construction laborers have one of the highest injury rates of any occupation. Most work full time, though winter can slow work in northern states and highway jobs often run overnight.

A typical day

Clear debris and hazards from the site before and after each phase of work
Load, unload and carry lumber, block, pipe and tools to where crews need them
Dig trenches, backfill holes and compact soil to the grade on the plans
Build and take down scaffolding, shoring and temporary structures
Run jackhammers, plate compactors, concrete saws, mixers and generators
Set up cones and barricades and flag traffic on road jobs
Hand tools and materials to carpenters, masons and other tradespeople and help with their tasks

Also called: construction laborer, construction workers, bituminous asphalt technician, drop crew laborer, equipment operator (eo), form setter, post framer, scaffolding operator.

How to become a construction worker

Full guide

Most construction workers are hired with no formal education and learn on the job in a few weeks to months, often after a 10-hour OSHA safety course. A registered construction craft laborer apprenticeship, about two years, is the more structured route.

Typical time: About 2 years to be fully skilled (on-the-job training or an apprenticeship); Fastest: A few days (OSHA 10-hour course, then hire on as a laborer)
Minimum education: No formal credential required; some employers prefer a high school diploma or equivalent
License: Not licensed (OSHA safety training often required by employers; a driver's license may be required)
Typical training cost: $0–$4.7K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a construction worker: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: About 2 years to be fully skilled (on-the-job training or an apprenticeship); Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $0–$4.7K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $47,120; $3,860 below the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 0–10%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

The median for construction workers is below the median for all US jobs, so the case for training rests on the work itself, entry speed and local pay rather than a pay premium. This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for construction workers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +7.3%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 1,489,300; 1,598,600 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 120,000; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 26.9%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects jobs for construction laborers to grow 7.3% from 2025 to 2035, from 1,489,300 to 1,598,600, about twice the 3.5% rate for all occupations. With about 120,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other jobs, hiring should stay active. BLS links demand to the overall level of construction and to repairing and replacing infrastructure such as roads, water lines and the power grid.

Related careers and their pay

Carpenter$60,580
Plumber$63,800
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators$53,340
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining$57,430
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Construction Worker salary FAQ

How much do construction workers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for construction workers was $22.66 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $16.87 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $37.54. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays construction workers the most?

Hawaii has the highest median pay for construction workers, $77,110 a year, followed by New Jersey ($64,060) and Massachusetts ($63,390). After adjusting for each state's price level, Hawaii comes out ahead at about $70,131 in national-average dollars.

Do construction workers make six figures?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of construction workers earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $47,120, and the top 10% earn more than $78,090. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Is construction work hard on your body?

Yes. Construction laborers lift and carry heavy materials, dig, kneel and stand most of the day, often in heat or cold. BLS reports that they have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of any occupation, from incidents such as slips, falls and contact with objects or equipment. Hardhats, steel-toed boots, eye protection and following safety procedures cut the risk, and OSHA safety training is often required.

What is the difference between a construction laborer and a helper?

Laborers do a wide range of site work on their own, such as digging, demolition, scaffolding and running equipment. Helpers are assigned to a specific trade, for example a carpenter's or electrician's helper, and mainly carry tools and materials and assist that tradesperson. BLS counts them as separate occupations. Helpers often use the job as a step toward an apprenticeship in that trade.

Do construction workers work in winter?

It depends on where. In northern states, cold weather often slows or stops some work in winter, especially earthwork, concrete and road jobs, so many laborers have seasonal gaps. In warmer states work runs most of the year. Indoor finishing, demolition and some heavy civil projects continue through winter, and highway crews may work overnight in other seasons to avoid traffic.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 47-2061
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (47-2061.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Construction Laborers and Helpers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
Construction Laborers (47-2061.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
Outreach Training Program: Program Overview and FAQs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration · checked October 28, 2026
Appendix A Work Process Schedule: Construction Craft Laborer, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship · checked October 28, 2026
Apprenticeship Program, LIUNA Training and Education Fund · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
OSHA Outreach Training Program: Frequently Asked Questions, Occupational Safety and Health Administration · checked October 28, 2026

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