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The national median salary for Highway Maintenance Workers is $50,253 per year ($24.16/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $43,493 and $61,048 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $71,968 per year. There are approximately 154,960 highway maintenance workers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+3.0%
About as fast as average
Annual openings
12K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
159K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
4% from new growth96% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
110K
$49,500
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999200
38K
$53,100
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
NAICS 237300
4K
$49,210
Other Support Services
NAICS 561900
520
$45,600
Other Specialty Trade Contractors
NAICS 238900
470
N/A
Wage range across top 5 industries: $45,600 to $53,100 (16% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$17.42
$36,234
P25
$20.91
$43,493
P50MEDIAN
$24.16
$50,253
P75
$29.35
$61,048
P90
$34.60
$71,968
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 highway maintenance workers salary?
The national median salary for Highway Maintenance Workers is $50,253 per year ($24.16/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $43,493 and $61,048 annually.
How much do top-earning highway maintenance workers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Highway Maintenance Workers is $71,968 per year ($34.60/hr). The 75th percentile is $61,048 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for highway maintenance workers?
Entry-level Highway Maintenance Workers (10th percentile) earn approximately $36,234 per year ($17.42/hr). The 25th percentile is $43,493 per year.
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.
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.
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