How much do construction laborers make in 2026?
Construction labourers have their own BLS wage series, and a very large one: OEWS May 2025 puts the SOC 47-2061 national median at $47,120 a year ($22.66 an hour) across 1,096,780 workers, with the bottom 10% near $35,090 and the top 10% at $78,090. That $43,000 spread within a single job title is the most important fact on this page, because it shows that general labour is a starting classification rather than a fixed wage. What separates the two ends is qualification: labourers who hold competent-person trenching and excavation, confined space entry, hazardous materials, traffic control, scaffold erection, mast climbing or pipe laying credentials are assigned skilled work at higher rates, and those on union heavy-and-highway or building agreements receive scale plus pension and health contributions that open-shop residential labour does not. The top of the band is largely foremen, skilled labourer classifications on heavy civil work, and agreement-covered labourers with multiple certifications. Employment is projected to grow 7.3% through 2034 with roughly 129,400 openings a year — one of the largest annual flows of any occupation BLS tracks. → Full construction laborer career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $47,120 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Construction Laborers earn a national median $47,120/yr ($22.66/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2061); the P10 to P90 range is $35,090 to $78,090.
- Construction labourers have a dedicated BLS series covering 1,096,780 workers, and its $35,090 to $78,090 band shows that general labour is a starting classification rather than a fixed wage.
- Certifications are what move a labourer up: competent-person excavation, confined space, hazardous materials, traffic control, scaffold and pipe laying credentials all unlock higher-paid assignments.
- Union heavy-and-highway and building agreements add scale plus pension and health contributions, which is why most of the upper band is agreement-covered or supervisory work.
US Construction Laborer Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do construction laborers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2061; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2061, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a construction laborer earn at each career stage?
Labourer pay is a function of certifications held and the classification you are assigned, not of years on site. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2061.
By State
Which states pay construction laborers the most in 2026?
The state figures below are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. For labour, two state-level factors dominate: whether public work carries prevailing-wage requirements, which raise site rates substantially, and the union density of the local heavy-and-highway sector, which sets the floor for agreement-covered classifications.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($54,190), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay construction laborers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro premiums are genuine because large urban projects are more likely to be agreement-covered and prevailing-wage funded, and because congested sites need certified labourers for traffic control, excavation support and confined space work.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a construction laborer’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does construction laborer pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Construction Laborers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify construction laborer wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a construction laborer actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Construction Laborer Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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