CompSignal

Construction Laborers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks

SOC 47-2061 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data

Median Annual Salary
$47,133
$22.66/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
Get notified when this number updates
Personal or work email, both work. No account needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

The national median salary for Construction Laborers is $47,133 per year ($22.66/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $38,626 and $59,738 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $78,083 per year. There are approximately 1,096,780 construction laborers employed in the United States.

About This Role

BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018

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).

Career Outlook

BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+7.3%
Faster than average
Annual openings
129K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
1.5M
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
8% from new growth92% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Industry Wage Breakdown

Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
IndustryWorkforce Median Pay
Other Specialty Trade Contractors
NAICS 238900
186K$47,410
Residential Building Construction
NAICS 236100
153K$46,550
Utility System Construction
NAICS 237100
129K$46,740
Nonresidential Building Construction
NAICS 236200
119K$49,940
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors
NAICS 238100
114K$47,070

Wage Percentiles

Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
PercentileHourly RateAnnual Salary
P10$16.87$35,090
P25$18.57$38,626
P50MEDIAN$22.66$47,133
P75$28.72$59,738
P90$37.54$78,083

Market Context Signal

JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%

Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average construction laborers salary?

The national median salary for Construction Laborers is $47,133 per year ($22.66/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $38,626 and $59,738 annually.

How much do top-earning construction laborers make?

The 90th percentile salary for Construction Laborers is $78,083 per year ($37.54/hr). The 75th percentile is $59,738 per year.

What is the entry-level salary for construction laborers?

Entry-level Construction Laborers (10th percentile) earn approximately $35,090 per year ($16.87/hr). The 25th percentile is $38,626 per year.

Related Salary Data

Compare with other occupations
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers47-1011$80K/yrElectricians47-2111$63K/yrCarpenters47-2031$61K/yrOperating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators47-2073$60K/yrPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters47-2152$64K/yrBrowse all 770+ occupations →

Construction Laborers Salary by State

Top 5 states by employment
Texas123,250 workersCalifornia88,240 workersFlorida87,040 workersNew York52,090 workersArizona37,630 workers

About This Data

Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.

P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.

Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.

Next OEWS release: May 2027Verify on BLS.gov →

About CompSignal

CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.

Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.

Open the full app →About Falcon Incentives →Privacy Policy
Explore more occupations on CompSignal →

Free BLS wage benchmarks, JOLTS talent signals, and AI analyst briefs

CompSignal by Falcon Incentives · BLS data, made usable · Verify on BLS.gov