Construction Worker: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of construction workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $35,090
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of construction workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $38,620
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of construction workers earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $47,120
- Hourly
- $22.66
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of construction workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $59,740
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of construction workers earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $78,090
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Construction Workers perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. The median pay is $47,120 a year ($22.66 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a high school diploma or equivalent (35% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $47,120
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 1,096,780
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- some preparation
- Most common education
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- 35% of workers
Data Government data groups this job as Construction Laborers (O*NET-SOC 47-2061.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.
Every page for Construction Workers
Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →How to becomeConstruction Worker how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeConstruction Worker resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Career changeConstruction Worker career changeWhere these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What construction workers do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
- Clean or prepare construction sites to eliminate possible hazards.
- 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.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical.
Software construction workers use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Autodesk RevitComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
- Microsoft ExcelSpreadsheet softwareHot technology
- Microsoft Office softwareOffice suite softwareHot technology
- Microsoft OutlookElectronic mail softwareHot technology
- Microsoft WindowsOperating system softwareHot technology
- Microsoft WordWord processing softwareHot technology
- Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio ManagementProject management softwareHot technology
Also called: Construction Laborer, Bituminous Asphalt Technician, Drop Crew Laborer, Equipment Operator (EO), Form Setter.
Similar careers to explore
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).