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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2020
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: Top
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Construction Laborers:
Employment (1) |
Employment RSE (3) |
Mean hourly wage |
Mean annual wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
971,330 |
0.8 % |
$ 20.67 |
$ 43,000 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Construction Laborers:
Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50% (Median) |
75% |
90% |
Hourly Wage |
$ 12.54 |
$ 14.75 |
$ 18.22 |
$ 24.20 |
$ 33.60 |
Annual Wage (2) |
$ 26,090 |
$ 30,690 |
$ 37,890 |
$ 50,330 |
$ 69,880 |
Industry profile for Construction Laborers: Top
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 |
155,090 |
22.33 |
$ 20.78 |
$ 43,220 |
Residential Building Construction |
127,900 |
16.00 |
$ 19.17 |
$ 39,860 |
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors |
115,520 |
12.50 |
$ 20.33 |
$ 42,290 |
Utility System Construction |
115,510 |
20.74 |
$ 21.47 |
$ 44,650 |
Nonresidential Building Construction |
114,770 |
14.21 |
$ 21.91 |
$ 45,580 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Construction Laborers:
Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction |
84,950 |
23.74 |
$ 23.60 |
$ 49,090 |
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction |
27,890 |
23.17 |
$ 21.27 |
$ 44,240 |
Other Specialty Trade Contractors |
155,090 |
22.33 |
$ 20.78 |
$ 43,220 |
Utility System Construction |
115,510 |
20.74 |
$ 21.47 |
$ 44,650 |
Residential Building Construction |
127,900 |
16.00 |
$ 19.17 |
$ 39,860 |
Top paying industries for Construction Laborers:
Geographic profile for Construction Laborers: Top
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.
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 |
104,130 |
8.60 |
1.23 |
$ 16.82 |
$ 34,980 |
California |
100,740 |
6.13 |
0.88 |
$ 24.63 |
$ 51,240 |
Florida |
71,830 |
8.51 |
1.22 |
$ 16.37 |
$ 34,040 |
New York |
58,380 |
6.72 |
0.96 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 57,480 |
Pennsylvania |
37,000 |
6.71 |
0.96 |
$ 21.64 |
$ 45,000 |
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 |
9,940 |
12.65 |
1.81 |
$ 16.56 |
$ 34,430 |
Wyoming |
3,290 |
12.59 |
1.80 |
$ 18.14 |
$ 37,740 |
Utah |
16,740 |
11.24 |
1.61 |
$ 17.98 |
$ 37,410 |
West Virginia |
7,130 |
10.98 |
1.57 |
$ 17.50 |
$ 36,400 |
Idaho |
7,660 |
10.65 |
1.53 |
$ 16.85 |
$ 35,060 |
Top paying states for Construction Laborers:
State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
Hawaii |
4,460 |
7.76 |
1.11 |
$ 30.14 |
$ 62,690 |
Illinois |
31,910 |
5.67 |
0.81 |
$ 29.44 |
$ 61,240 |
New Jersey |
24,020 |
6.35 |
0.91 |
$ 28.21 |
$ 58,680 |
Massachusetts |
18,900 |
5.64 |
0.81 |
$ 27.70 |
$ 57,610 |
New York |
58,380 |
6.72 |
0.96 |
$ 27.64 |
$ 57,480 |
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 |
59,570 |
6.74 |
0.97 |
$ 29.45 |
$ 61,250 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
30,000 |
5.15 |
0.74 |
$ 23.18 |
$ 48,210 |
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
29,380 |
9.90 |
1.42 |
$ 17.92 |
$ 37,280 |
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
25,000 |
6.97 |
1.00 |
$ 17.39 |
$ 36,170 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
23,860 |
5.47 |
0.78 |
$ 32.05 |
$ 66,670 |
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
17,850 |
7.12 |
1.02 |
$ 16.41 |
$ 34,130 |
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
16,790 |
7.96 |
1.14 |
$ 19.60 |
$ 40,770 |
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
16,240 |
5.38 |
0.77 |
$ 18.44 |
$ 38,360 |
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
15,840 |
8.10 |
1.16 |
$ 27.11 |
$ 56,400 |
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
15,360 |
5.84 |
0.84 |
$ 16.51 |
$ 34,340 |
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) |
Farmington, NM |
1,290 |
29.73 |
4.26 |
$ 17.10 |
$ 35,560 |
Twin Falls, ID |
1,130 |
24.70 |
3.54 |
$ 13.96 |
$ 29,040 |
The Villages, FL |
640 |
21.37 |
3.06 |
$ 16.15 |
$ 33,590 |
Lake Charles, LA |
2,170 |
21.34 |
3.06 |
(8) |
(8) |
Greeley, CO |
2,180 |
20.85 |
2.99 |
$ 18.27 |
$ 38,010 |
Corpus Christi, TX |
3,500 |
19.37 |
2.77 |
$ 16.12 |
$ 33,530 |
Morgantown, WV |
1,010 |
16.28 |
2.33 |
$ 16.74 |
$ 34,810 |
Sumter, SC |
570 |
15.73 |
2.25 |
$ 15.70 |
$ 32,650 |
Fairbanks, AK |
480 |
15.60 |
2.23 |
$ 25.46 |
$ 52,950 |
Provo-Orem, UT |
3,750 |
14.81 |
2.12 |
$ 16.78 |
$ 34,910 |
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