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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

47-2061 Construction Laborers

Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers. Construction laborers who primarily assist a particular craft worker are classified under “Helpers, Construction Trades” (47-3010). Excludes “Hazardous Materials Removal Workers” (47-4041).

National estimates for Construction Laborers
Industry profile for Construction Laborers
Geographic profile for Construction Laborers

National estimates for Construction Laborers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Construction Laborers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
968,760 1.1 % $ 21.22 $ 44,130 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for Construction Laborers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 13.86 $ 14.80 $ 18.16 $ 23.10 $ 33.80
Annual Wage (2) $ 28,820 $ 30,780 $ 37,770 $ 48,040 $ 70,310

Industry profile for Construction Laborers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Construction Laborers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Construction Laborers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Construction Laborers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 166,780 23.35 $ 21.22 $ 44,130
Residential Building Construction 129,780 15.44 $ 19.59 $ 40,750
Nonresidential Building Construction 109,840 14.11 $ 22.68 $ 47,170
Utility System Construction 109,420 20.28 $ 22.50 $ 46,800
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 106,160 11.37 $ 20.79 $ 43,250

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Construction Laborers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 29,680 24.67 $ 22.06 $ 45,890
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 84,190 23.68 $ 24.53 $ 51,030
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 166,780 23.35 $ 21.22 $ 44,130
Utility System Construction 109,420 20.28 $ 22.50 $ 46,800
Residential Building Construction 129,780 15.44 $ 19.59 $ 40,750

Top paying industries for Construction Laborers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas (8) (8) $ 37.39 $ 77,780
Coal Mining 130 0.36 $ 29.66 $ 61,690
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 980 0.26 $ 29.58 $ 61,520
Support Activities for Water Transportation (8) (8) $ 28.13 $ 58,510
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing 70 0.03 $ 27.91 $ 58,050

Geographic profile for Construction Laborers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Construction Laborers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Construction Laborers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of construction laborers by state, May 2021


States with the highest employment level in Construction Laborers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 103,870 8.50 1.24 $ 17.24 $ 35,850
California 102,510 6.20 0.90 $ 25.38 $ 52,790
Florida 66,980 7.78 1.13 $ 17.25 $ 35,880
New York 49,090 5.66 0.82 $ 29.04 $ 60,410
Pennsylvania 36,570 6.55 0.95 $ 22.86 $ 47,550


Map of location quotient of construction laborers by state, May 2021


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Construction Laborers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Mexico 10,380 13.37 1.94 $ 16.76 $ 34,850
Utah 19,250 12.38 1.80 $ 18.75 $ 38,990
West Virginia 6,950 10.57 1.54 $ 18.14 $ 37,730
Wyoming 2,680 10.30 1.50 $ 18.64 $ 38,770
North Dakota 3,910 9.89 1.44 $ 21.59 $ 44,920


Map of annual mean wages of construction laborers by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Construction Laborers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Illinois 28,090 5.00 0.73 $ 29.77 $ 61,930
New Jersey 20,770 5.39 0.78 $ 29.27 $ 60,880
New York 49,090 5.66 0.82 $ 29.04 $ 60,410
Massachusetts 20,050 5.91 0.86 $ 28.51 $ 59,290
Hawaii 3,950 7.20 1.05 $ 28.47 $ 59,210



Map of employment of construction laborers by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Construction Laborers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 46,830 5.40 0.78 $ 31.05 $ 64,590
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 28,290 4.95 0.72 $ 24.70 $ 51,380
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 27,700 9.56 1.39 $ 17.96 $ 37,350
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 26,390 7.35 1.07 $ 17.83 $ 37,080
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 20,550 4.86 0.71 $ 31.69 $ 65,910
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 17,210 8.13 1.18 $ 19.70 $ 40,970
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 16,020 5.46 0.79 $ 20.02 $ 41,640
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 15,740 8.21 1.19 $ 28.00 $ 58,240
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 14,360 5.86 0.85 $ 17.81 $ 37,050
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 14,150 6.31 0.92 $ 28.76 $ 59,820


Map of location quotient of construction laborers by area, May 2021


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Construction Laborers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
The Villages, FL 800 23.90 3.48 $ 16.44 $ 34,190
Lake Charles, LA 1,660 18.43 2.68 $ 17.97 $ 37,370
Farmington, NM 720 17.52 2.55 $ 17.10 $ 35,560
St. George, UT 1,310 17.28 2.51 $ 18.76 $ 39,010
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 530 15.78 2.30 $ 19.20 $ 39,940
Provo-Orem, UT 3,980 14.60 2.12 $ 18.10 $ 37,650
Kennewick-Richland, WA 1,680 14.32 2.08 $ 26.57 $ 55,260
Punta Gorda, FL 650 13.28 1.93 $ 17.62 $ 36,660
Baton Rouge, LA 4,860 13.23 1.92 $ 18.09 $ 37,620
Longview, TX 1,180 13.12 1.91 $ 16.53 $ 34,380