Top
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

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)
1,019,090 1.3 % $ 23.69 $ 49,280 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for Construction Laborers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 15.15 $ 17.82 $ 21.78 $ 27.30 $ 36.54
Annual Wage (2) $ 31,510 $ 37,070 $ 45,300 $ 56,780 $ 76,010

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 177,760 22.87 $ 23.30 $ 48,450
Residential Building Construction 132,700 14.32 $ 22.34 $ 46,460
Utility System Construction 121,530 21.05 $ 24.72 $ 51,420
Nonresidential Building Construction 113,670 13.24 $ 25.40 $ 52,830
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 104,840 10.71 $ 23.63 $ 49,150

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 31,750 25.11 $ 24.82 $ 51,620
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 85,820 23.35 $ 27.50 $ 57,210
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 177,760 22.87 $ 23.30 $ 48,450
Utility System Construction 121,530 21.05 $ 24.72 $ 51,420
Residential Building Construction 132,700 14.32 $ 22.34 $ 46,460

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) $ 45.50 $ 94,640
Scientific Research and Development Services (8) (8) $ 32.69 $ 68,000
Other Miscellaneous Manufacturing 80 0.03 $ 31.22 $ 64,930
Other Support Services 1,080 0.33 $ 30.84 $ 64,140
Machinery, Equipment, and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (8) (8) $ 30.81 $ 64,080

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 2023


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 115,770 8.54 1.27 $ 18.74 $ 38,990
California 89,950 5.01 0.75 $ 29.67 $ 61,710
Florida 69,690 7.28 1.09 $ 19.56 $ 40,680
New York 49,080 5.23 0.78 $ 30.69 $ 63,830
Pennsylvania 39,370 6.62 0.99 $ 25.14 $ 52,290


Map of location quotient of construction laborers by state, May 2023


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)
Louisiana 24,760 13.37 1.99 $ 20.98 $ 43,640
New Mexico 10,930 12.93 1.93 $ 19.04 $ 39,610
Utah 20,320 12.11 1.80 $ 23.04 $ 47,910
Idaho 9,590 11.66 1.74 $ 21.28 $ 44,260
West Virginia 7,580 11.01 1.64 $ 19.87 $ 41,330


Map of annual mean wages of construction laborers by state, May 2023


Top paying states for Construction Laborers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Massachusetts 18,280 5.02 0.75 $ 32.59 $ 67,780
New Jersey 20,230 4.82 0.72 $ 32.35 $ 67,280
Illinois 29,930 4.98 0.74 $ 32.06 $ 66,670
Hawaii 4,750 7.70 1.15 $ 31.52 $ 65,570
New York 49,080 5.23 0.78 $ 30.69 $ 63,830



Map of employment of construction laborers by area, May 2023


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 46,390 4.89 0.73 $ 32.80 $ 68,210
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 33,950 10.68 1.59 $ 19.08 $ 39,690
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 27,850 7.02 1.05 $ 19.47 $ 40,490
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 25,380 4.10 0.61 $ 29.14 $ 60,600
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 21,930 4.87 0.73 $ 33.35 $ 69,370
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 21,870 9.56 1.42 $ 22.65 $ 47,120
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 18,660 6.03 0.90 $ 22.18 $ 46,130
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 15,010 7.22 1.08 $ 30.65 $ 63,760
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 14,490 5.12 0.76 $ 27.82 $ 57,870
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 14,180 7.42 1.11 $ 29.82 $ 62,020


Map of location quotient of construction laborers by area, May 2023


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)
Lake Charles, LA 2,210 24.27 3.62 $ 22.92 $ 47,680
The Villages, FL 840 22.16 3.30 $ 19.58 $ 40,730
Farmington, NM 980 21.54 3.21 $ 18.30 $ 38,070
Baton Rouge, LA 7,570 19.54 2.91 $ 22.14 $ 46,050
St. George, UT 1,500 17.98 2.68 $ 21.46 $ 44,630
Prescott, AZ 1,010 14.60 2.18 $ 21.05 $ 43,790
Houma-Thibodaux, LA 1,170 14.56 2.17 $ 23.17 $ 48,190
Longview, TX 1,410 14.55 2.17 $ 17.34 $ 36,060
Decatur, IL 670 14.55 2.17 $ 25.35 $ 52,720
Greeley, CO 1,570 14.14 2.11 $ 21.53 $ 44,780