Boilermakers
Median $76,410
Occupation · SOC 47-2061
Construction Laborers: pay and where the jobs are
What construction laborers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$47,120 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $52,030
- Median hourly wage
- $22.66
- Mean hourly wage
- $25.02
- Employment
- 1,096,780
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2061.
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See where your pay falls among construction laborers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do construction laborers make?
The median annual wage for construction laborers was $47,120 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,090 and the highest-paid 10% more than $78,090. As an hourly rate, the median is $22.66. About 1,096,780 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($77,110), New Jersey ($64,060) and Massachusetts ($63,390). Hawaii also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for construction laborers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $35,090 | $16.87 | $2,924 | $2,531 |
| 25th percentile | $38,620 | $18.57 | $3,218 | $2,768 |
| Median | $47,120 | $22.66 | $3,927 | $3,337 |
| 75th percentile | $59,740 | $28.72 | $4,978 | $4,182 |
| 90th percentile | $78,090 | $37.54 | $6,508 | $5,314 |
Construction Laborers: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$53,328 take-home in national prices
2
$50,688 take-home in national prices
3
$49,735 take-home in national prices
Where a median construction laborer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 4,580 | $77,110 | $43,990 | $96,490 | $58,635 | $53,328 |
| New Jersey | 23,590 | $64,060 | $37,980 | $106,140 | $51,201 | $47,058 |
| Massachusetts | 16,210 | $63,390 | $45,170 | $98,880 | $49,873 | $47,158 |
| Illinois | 35,940 | $60,690 | $38,880 | $105,040 | $48,085 | $48,105 |
| California | 88,240 | $60,270 | $40,950 | $93,620 | $48,168 | $43,504 |
| Minnesota | 28,530 | $60,260 | $42,950 | $96,150 | $47,759 | $48,427 |
| Connecticut | 7,360 | $58,290 | $42,580 | $76,520 | $46,269 | $44,657 |
| Alaska | 3,690 | $58,060 | $37,980 | $83,710 | $48,560 | $47,441 |
| Washington | 25,060 | $57,720 | $39,930 | $95,110 | $47,757 | $44,628 |
| Rhode Island | 2,110 | $57,240 | $39,480 | $88,620 | $46,013 | $44,987 |
| Missouri | 17,050 | $56,730 | $37,870 | $83,470 | $46,034 | $50,688 |
| Wisconsin | 20,330 | $56,100 | $37,990 | $80,920 | $45,379 | $48,227 |
| Ohio | 31,910 | $56,080 | $37,370 | $79,110 | $46,142 | $49,735 |
| New York | 52,090 | $55,930 | $34,320 | $96,590 | $44,424 | $41,163 |
| Oregon | 12,620 | $50,860 | $39,210 | $78,410 | $39,471 | $38,187 |
| Indiana | 28,600 | $50,070 | $36,570 | $74,740 | $40,964 | $43,892 |
| District of Columbia | 2,090 | $50,020 | $37,190 | $72,320 | $40,536 | $36,884 |
| New Hampshire | 4,330 | $49,980 | $38,020 | $63,310 | $42,339 | $40,646 |
| Montana | 4,590 | $49,830 | $37,720 | $63,980 | $40,633 | $42,932 |
| Michigan | 28,490 | $49,590 | $37,220 | $69,890 | $40,169 | $41,748 |
| Pennsylvania | 35,920 | $49,400 | $37,480 | $74,670 | $40,322 | $41,325 |
| North Dakota | 5,050 | $49,070 | $38,990 | $71,210 | $41,608 | $46,772 |
| Nevada | 11,890 | $48,990 | $36,400 | $76,660 | $41,543 | $41,552 |
| Vermont | 1,430 | $48,580 | $39,130 | $61,710 | $40,020 | $40,855 |
| Iowa | 13,780 | $48,490 | $38,180 | $68,900 | $39,951 | $45,522 |
| Colorado | 18,680 | $47,900 | $38,410 | $62,010 | $39,058 | $37,901 |
| Nebraska | 8,530 | $47,260 | $36,400 | $61,780 | $38,883 | $43,154 |
| Maryland | 20,920 | $46,960 | $36,430 | $61,670 | $38,048 | $36,250 |
| Idaho | 10,850 | $46,940 | $36,560 | $63,190 | $38,517 | $40,334 |
| Arizona | 37,630 | $46,590 | $36,770 | $60,930 | $38,844 | $38,583 |
| Utah | 20,950 | $46,550 | $34,890 | $63,310 | $38,109 | $38,547 |
| Maine | 3,960 | $46,430 | $36,190 | $60,520 | $37,779 | $38,928 |
| Wyoming | 3,350 | $46,030 | $35,640 | $57,590 | $39,165 | $42,253 |
| Kentucky | 13,280 | $45,710 | $33,770 | $60,200 | $37,426 | $41,511 |
| South Dakota | 1,780 | $45,710 | $35,180 | $52,350 | $38,908 | $43,921 |
| Delaware | 3,240 | $45,550 | $33,240 | $63,730 | $36,746 | $36,817 |
| Tennessee | 26,250 | $45,000 | $34,910 | $59,990 | $38,338 | $41,730 |
| Kansas | 9,990 | $44,840 | $31,500 | $60,070 | $36,507 | $40,532 |
| North Carolina | 35,620 | $44,720 | $31,850 | $59,970 | $36,837 | $39,053 |
| Florida | 87,040 | $44,030 | $33,280 | $58,900 | $37,558 | $36,318 |
| Virginia | 25,830 | $43,560 | $32,900 | $57,110 | $35,490 | $35,102 |
| South Carolina | 19,620 | $42,940 | $31,200 | $63,370 | $36,110 | $38,518 |
| West Virginia | 6,620 | $42,670 | $30,770 | $60,550 | $35,331 | $39,477 |
| Virgin Islands | 370 | $42,200 | $31,690 | $57,010 | — | — |
| Texas | 123,250 | $40,620 | $32,560 | $56,930 | $34,818 | $35,874 |
| Oklahoma | 13,710 | $39,360 | $33,490 | $58,070 | $32,580 | $37,089 |
| Georgia | 27,800 | $38,990 | $27,880 | $56,450 | $32,311 | $33,555 |
| New Mexico | 12,470 | $38,400 | $30,840 | $53,590 | $32,351 | $35,083 |
| Louisiana | 22,100 | $38,230 | $29,650 | $60,090 | $32,137 | $36,434 |
| Mississippi | 8,800 | $37,710 | $29,370 | $52,640 | $31,704 | $36,461 |
| Arkansas | 10,650 | $37,630 | $30,850 | $48,410 | $31,511 | $36,246 |
| Alabama | 18,400 | $36,900 | $23,980 | $49,740 | $30,337 | $34,154 |
| Guam | 800 | $29,410 | $22,340 | $42,210 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 9,820 | $24,270 | $21,840 | $33,220 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2061. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.