Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019
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 this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation
National estimates for this occupation:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,020,350 |
0.7 % |
$20.06 |
$41,730 |
0.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$11.96 |
$14.28 |
$17.72 |
$23.63 |
$32.65 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$24,880 |
$29,700 |
$36,860 |
$49,160 |
$67,910 |
Industry profile for this occupation:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors |
165,170 |
23.29 |
$19.94 |
$41,480 |
| Residential Building Construction |
132,230 |
16.33 |
$18.68 |
$38,860 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction |
123,150 |
14.76 |
$21.48 |
$44,670 |
| Utility System Construction |
121,990 |
21.37 |
$20.98 |
$43,630 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors |
119,370 |
12.75 |
$19.65 |
$40,880 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction |
87,960 |
24.99 |
$22.83 |
$47,480 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors |
165,170 |
23.29 |
$19.94 |
$41,480 |
| Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction |
27,840 |
22.65 |
$21.05 |
$43,790 |
| Utility System Construction |
121,990 |
21.37 |
$20.98 |
$43,630 |
| Residential Building Construction |
132,230 |
16.33 |
$18.68 |
$38,860 |
Top paying industries for this occupation:
Geographic profile for this occupation:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Texas |
112,370 |
9.04 |
1.30 |
$16.32 |
$33,940 |
| California |
101,900 |
5.86 |
0.84 |
$23.89 |
$49,680 |
| Florida |
73,030 |
8.30 |
1.20 |
$15.82 |
$32,910 |
| New York |
66,740 |
7.01 |
1.01 |
$25.97 |
$54,020 |
| Pennsylvania |
40,620 |
6.88 |
0.99 |
$20.94 |
$43,550 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| West Virginia |
9,750 |
13.89 |
2.00 |
$17.13 |
$35,640 |
| Wyoming |
3,760 |
13.76 |
1.98 |
$17.91 |
$37,260 |
| New Mexico |
10,620 |
12.90 |
1.86 |
$15.93 |
$33,130 |
| North Dakota |
4,660 |
11.02 |
1.59 |
$19.98 |
$41,560 |
| Idaho |
7,510 |
10.33 |
1.49 |
$16.34 |
$33,990 |
Top paying States for this occupation:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Illinois |
34,010 |
5.64 |
0.81 |
$29.09 |
$60,500 |
| Hawaii |
5,020 |
7.90 |
1.14 |
$28.44 |
$59,160 |
| New Jersey |
24,460 |
5.98 |
0.86 |
$27.28 |
$56,750 |
| Massachusetts |
20,020 |
5.53 |
0.80 |
$26.70 |
$55,540 |
| New York |
66,740 |
7.01 |
1.01 |
$25.97 |
$54,020 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:
| 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 |
66,210 |
6.86 |
0.99 |
$27.79 |
$57,800 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
32,540 |
10.66 |
1.53 |
$17.49 |
$36,380 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
29,910 |
4.79 |
0.69 |
$22.75 |
$47,320 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
28,090 |
7.68 |
1.11 |
$16.53 |
$34,390 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
26,460 |
5.66 |
0.81 |
$31.19 |
$64,870 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
18,580 |
6.77 |
0.97 |
$16.36 |
$34,030 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
17,610 |
8.71 |
1.25 |
$25.34 |
$52,710 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
17,390 |
6.58 |
0.95 |
$15.87 |
$33,010 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
16,830 |
7.93 |
1.14 |
$18.47 |
$38,420 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
16,640 |
5.23 |
0.75 |
$17.84 |
$37,110 |
United States Department of Labor
