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Construction and extraction occupations had employment of nearly 5.6 million in May 2016, representing 4 percent of total national employment. Over 4.2 million of these jobs were in construction trades occupations, including construction laborers (912,100), carpenters (676,980), and electricians (607,120).
Occupation | Employment | Annual mean wages |
---|---|---|
Construction laborers |
912,100 | $37,890 |
Carpenters |
676,980 | 48,340 |
Electricians |
607,120 | 56,650 |
First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers |
538,220 | 68,040 |
Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters |
451,500 | 54,870 |
Construction equipment operators |
412,190 | 49,810 |
Helpers, construction trades |
228,590 | 30,900 |
Painters and paperhangers |
220,470 | 41,430 |
Cement masons, concrete finishers, and terrazzo workers |
177,340 | 43,770 |
Highway maintenance workers |
143,320 | 39,540 |
Sheet metal workers |
134,450 | 51,080 |
Roofers |
116,410 | 42,080 |
Drywall installers, ceiling tile installers, and tapers |
111,650 | 48,460 |
Construction and building inspectors |
94,960 | 61,250 |
Brickmasons, blockmasons, and stonemasons |
77,560 | 51,770 |
Carpet, floor, and tile installers and finishers |
77,410 | 43,950 |
Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining |
71,860 | 54,010 |
Structural iron and steel workers |
69,440 | 56,040 |
Insulation workers |
56,770 | 45,070 |
Roustabouts, oil and gas |
51,290 | 40,480 |
Glaziers |
47,140 | 47,260 |
Hazardous materials removal workers |
44,280 | 45,500 |
Miscellaneous construction and related workers |
37,070 | 40,190 |
Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners |
26,320 | 38,870 |
Plasterers and stucco masons |
22,810 | 44,070 |
Elevator installers and repairers |
22,240 | 76,860 |
Fence erectors |
21,500 | 36,380 |
Mining machine operators |
20,120 | 51,800 |
Reinforcing iron and rebar workers |
20,020 | 53,600 |
Earth drillers, except oil and gas |
18,500 | 51,240 |
Helpers--extraction workers |
17,660 | 37,160 |
Boilermakers |
16,660 | 62,200 |
Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators |
14,250 | 52,810 |
Solar photovoltaic installers |
8,870 | 42,500 |
Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters |
6,310 | 54,580 |
Miscellaneous extraction workers |
4,320 | 51,170 |
Roof bolters, mining |
3,930 | 58,110 |
Rock splitters, quarry |
3,770 | 34,860 |
The highest paying construction and extraction occupations were elevator installers and repairers ($76,860) and first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers ($68,040). The lowest paying construction and extraction occupation was construction trades helpers ($30,900). The annual mean wage across all construction and extraction occupations was $48,900, slightly below the U.S. average wage of $49,630 for all occupations combined.
These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. To learn more, see, "Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2016" (HTML) (PDF).
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Annual mean wage of construction and extraction occupations was $48,900 in 2016 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/annual-mean-wage-of-construction-and-extraction-occupations-was-48900-in-2016.htm (visited October 31, 2024).