Salary Range & Percentiles
Pay distribution across experience levels
- 10th Percentile — Entry Level$35,090
- 25th Percentile — Junior$38,620
- 50th Percentile — Median$47,120
- 75th Percentile — Senior$59,740
- 90th Percentile — Top Earners$78,090
The top 10% of Construction Laborers earn $78,090 or more per year. Entry-level professionals can expect to start around $35,090, with significant growth over the first 5 years.
What Construction Laborers Do
Role, training and entry requirements
Construction laborers perform physically demanding tasks on building, highway, and other construction sites: preparing sites, digging trenches, setting braces, operating hand and power tools, and cleaning up debris.
How to become one
Many learn on the job, while others complete an apprenticeship that combines paid work with classroom instruction. Safety training such as OSHA courses is common, and some tasks require specific certifications.
Salary by State
Geographic salary comparison
| State | Avg Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $71,520 | +37.5% |
| Massachusetts | $70,830 | +36.1% |
| New Jersey | $70,400 | +35.3% |
| Illinois | $67,620 | +30.0% |
| California | $64,870 | +24.7% |
| Minnesota | $64,740 | +24.4% |
| New York | $62,180 | +19.5% |
| Rhode Island | $61,780 | +18.7% |
| Washington | $61,320 | +17.9% |
| Missouri | $60,850 | +17.0% |
| Alaska | $59,270 | +13.9% |
| Connecticut | $59,250 | +13.9% |
| Ohio | $58,300 | +12.1% |
| Wisconsin | $57,960 | +11.4% |
| Oregon | $55,710 | +7.1% |
| Pennsylvania | $54,330 | +4.4% |
| Indiana | $54,060 | +3.9% |
| Nevada | $54,030 | +3.8% |
| North Dakota | $53,150 | +2.2% |
| Michigan | $53,130 | +2.1% |
| District of Columbia | $52,220 | +0.4% |
| New Hampshire | $51,730 | -0.6% |
| Iowa | $51,580 | -0.9% |
| Montana | $51,580 | -0.9% |
| Vermont | $51,000 | -2.0% |
| Colorado | $49,830 | -4.2% |
| Idaho | $48,630 | -6.5% |
| Utah | $48,410 | -7.0% |
| Nebraska | $48,350 | -7.1% |
| Maryland | $48,330 | -7.1% |
| Delaware | $48,020 | -7.7% |
| Arizona | $47,910 | -7.9% |
| Maine | $47,800 | -8.1% |
| Tennessee | $45,970 | -11.6% |
| Kentucky | $45,840 | -11.9% |
| Kansas | $45,580 | -12.4% |
| West Virginia | $45,550 | -12.5% |
| South Carolina | $45,470 | -12.6% |
| Wyoming | $45,420 | -12.7% |
| North Carolina | $45,250 | -13.0% |
| Florida | $44,550 | -14.4% |
| South Dakota | $44,310 | -14.8% |
| Virginia | $43,670 | -16.1% |
| Oklahoma | $43,310 | -16.8% |
| Texas | $42,910 | -17.5% |
| Louisiana | $42,250 | -18.8% |
| Georgia | $41,530 | -20.2% |
| New Mexico | $41,450 | -20.3% |
| Mississippi | $40,310 | -22.5% |
| Arkansas | $39,250 | -24.6% |
| Alabama | $37,910 | -27.1% |
What Factors Affect Construction Laborers Salary?
Key factors affecting compensation
Pay for Construction Laborers is influenced by geographic location, years of experience, employer type, and educational background. Location alone is a large factor: Hawaii pays an average of $71,520, while Alabama pays $37,910 — a gap of $33,610 per year.
Union membership, large commercial and infrastructure projects, and prevailing-wage public work push pay higher. Seasonal work and weather can reduce annual earnings, and laborers who learn a specialized trade often move into higher-paid craft occupations.
These figures are the wages employers report to BLS: base pay plus commissions, production bonuses and tips. They exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, benefits and self-employed workers, so total compensation can be higher than the numbers shown.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) · May 2025
Compare with Similar Jobs
Related career salary benchmarks
- Electricians $71,490/yr United States +37.4% vs this role
- Plumbers Pipefitters and Steamfitters $72,170/yr United States +38.7% vs this role
- Carpenters $65,630/yr United States +26.1% vs this role
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades $86,450/yr United States +66.2% vs this role
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons $68,280/yr United States +31.2% vs this role
- Carpet Installers $56,990/yr United States +9.5% vs this role
- Registered Nurses $101,420/yr United States +94.9% vs this role
- Nurse Practitioners $137,300/yr United States +163.9% vs this role
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this salary
What is the average salary for Construction Laborers?
The average salary for Construction Laborers in the United States is $52,030 per year, with a median of $47,120.
What is the starting salary for Construction Laborers?
Entry-level Construction Laborers typically earn between $35,090 and $38,620 per year depending on location and employer.
What state pays Construction Laborers the most?
Hawaii pays Construction Laborers the most at $71,520 per year on average, followed by Massachusetts ($70,830) and New Jersey ($70,400).
How much do Construction Laborers make per hour?
Based on the average annual salary of $52,030, Construction Laborers earn approximately $25.01 per hour (based on 2,080 working hours/year).
Is Construction Laborers a good career in 2026?
BLS counts 1,096,780 Construction Laborers jobs in the United States, with a mean annual wage of $52,030 and a median of $47,120 (OEWS May 2025). This site does not publish job-growth projections; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook covers the outlook for each occupation.
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