Construction Laborers Salary
Construction and Extraction Occupations · 1.1M employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$47,120
Median hourly
$23
Average annual
$52,030
Typical range
$35,090–$78,090
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Construction Laborers is $47,120 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $23 an hour at a full-time schedule.
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.
Most earn between $35,090 and $78,090 a year. There are roughly 1.1M people employed as construction laborers in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Construction Laborers.
- Hourly
- $22.65
- Daily
- $181
- Weekly
- $906
- Bi-weekly
- $1,812
- Monthly
- $3,927
- Annual
- $47,120
$47,120 a year is around the 50th percentile for Construction Laborerss. The median is $47,120.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Hawaii$77,110
- 2New Jersey$64,060
- 3Massachusetts$63,390
- 4Illinois$60,690
- 5California$60,270
- 6Minnesota$60,260
- 7Connecticut$58,290
- 8Alaska$58,060
- 9Washington$57,720
- 10Rhode Island$57,240
- 11Missouri$56,730
- 12Wisconsin$56,100
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Vineland, NJ$83,680
- 2Kahului-Wailuku, HI$79,760
- 3Urban Honolulu, HI$77,960
- 4San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$72,610
- 5Trenton-Princeton, NJ$71,920
- 6San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$68,470
- 7St. Louis, MO-IL$64,500
- 8Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$63,420
- 9Peoria, IL$62,960
- 10Springfield, MA$62,660
- 11Vallejo, CA$62,500
- 12Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$61,970
Related job titles
Employers advertise Construction Laborers roles under these titles.
Related occupations
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators$53,340
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining$57,430
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020
- Pipelayers$49,000
- Maintenance Workers, Machinery$60,850
- Brickmasons and Blockmasons$62,120
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers$62,780
- Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters$47,550
What a Construction Laborers does
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
- Dig ditches or trenches, backfill excavations, or compact and level earth to grade specifications, using picks, shovels, pneumatic tampers, or rakes.
- Load, unload, or identify building materials, machinery, or tools, distributing them to the appropriate locations, according to project plans or specifications.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Construction Laborers make?
- The median annual wage for Construction Laborers is $47,120 ($23 per hour). Pay ranges from about $35,090 at the 10th percentile to $78,090 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Construction Laborers?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $52,030, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Construction Laborerss the most?
- Hawaii has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $77,110.
- Is Construction Laborers a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 1.1M people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Construction Laborers do?
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.; Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.; Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards..