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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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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:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 970 0.26 $ 28.84 $ 59,980
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 180 (7) $ 26.49 $ 55,110
Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing 30 0.01 $ 25.87 $ 53,810
Telecommunications 710 0.10 $ 25.81 $ 53,680
Amusement Parks and Arcades 150 0.12 $ 25.65 $ 53,340

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