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The construction industry is a major component of the U.S. economy. From the roads and bridges connecting every corner of the country, to the factories and buildings that the American workforce uses daily, the construction sector has a far-reaching impact. And with federal initiatives to expand the residential housing supply and rebuild America’s aging infrastructure, demand for construction workers is expected to grow.
Despite this bright outlook, the U.S. is in the midst of a skilled worker shortage that is projected to worsen as an already aging construction workforce reaches retirement. To fill the demand, construction firms will need to recruit the next generation of skilled workers.
Construction Wage Growth Over Time
Source: Construction Coverage analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data | Image Credit: Construction Coverage
One way to attract more qualified workers to the construction sector is with increasing pay. While construction jobs tend to pay well compared to other occupations with similar educational requirements, construction wages have recently struggled to keep pace with inflation. In the third quarter of 2023, median weekly earnings for full-time construction and extraction occupations reached an all-time high of $992 and maintained that level in the first quarter of 2024. That figure is up just 1.1% nominally from a year prior (compared to an inflation rate of 3.2% over the same time period).
When looking at the five-year period ending in 2023—the latest year for which more granular occupation-specific data is available—wages in the construction industry also failed to keep pace with inflation. At the national level, across all construction and extraction occupations, mean wages fell by 1.1% after accounting for rising living costs.
Regional Differences in Construction Wages & Wage Growth
Source: Construction Coverage analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data | Image Credit: Construction Coverage
Some locations are better than others for construction workers. States with a strong union presence or prevailing wage laws tend to have the highest wages. Most of these locations are found in the northern half of the country. Illinois leads the nation with a cost-of-living-adjusted mean annual wage of $75,975 in 2023, followed by Alaska ($73,194), North Dakota ($72,471), Massachusetts ($72,326), and Minnesota ($72,225). In contrast, many of the lowest-paying states are found in the South, including the bottom four states for construction occupations: Florida ($50,204), South Carolina ($53,319), Arkansas ($53,582), and Texas ($53,593).
In terms of wage growth, Western states like Nevada (+6.0%), Washington (+4.8%), and Oregon (+4.4%) recorded some of the largest construction wage gains since 2018 after accounting for state-specific inflation levels. However, Maine ranked highest out of all 50 states with a five-year, inflation-adjusted increase of 6.2%. Notably, slightly more than half of states recorded inflation-adjusted decreases in construction wages over the same time period.
More so than by location, wages in the construction industry vary widely by occupation, and some roles have shown more recent wage growth than others. To find the construction jobs with the fastest-growing wages, researchers at Construction Coverage, a website that provides construction software and insurance reviews, analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The researchers ranked all construction and extraction occupations according to the five-year percentage change in wages from 2018 to 2023.
Here are the construction jobs with the fastest-growing wages.
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10. Electricians Helpers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +25.1%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +3.1%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $41,240
- Mean annual wage (2018): $32,960
- Total employment (2023): 68,670
Official BLS title “Helpers–Electricians.” These workers help electricians perform tasks that require less skill, such as cleaning the work area, retrieving equipment, and holding tools.
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9. Mason, Tile Setter, and Marble Setter Helpers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +25.3%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +3.2%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $45,590
- Mean annual wage (2018): $36,390
- Total employment (2023): 16,460
Official BLS title “Helpers–Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters.” These workers help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters by fetching and holding supplies, cleaning up the work area, and maintaining tools and equipment.
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8. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +26.1%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +3.9%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $100,060
- Mean annual wage (2018): $79,370
- Total employment (2023): 23,990
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers are responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing elevators, moving walkways, escalators, and similar types of equipment.
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7. Roofers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +27.3%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +4.9%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $55,840
- Mean annual wage (2018): $43,870
- Total employment (2023): 135,140
Roofers install, repair, and replace roofs on buildings, ensuring they are waterproof and structurally sound.
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6. Carpenter Helpers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +28.3%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +5.7%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $40,860
- Mean annual wage (2018): $31,850
- Total employment (2023): 21,770
Official BLS title “Helpers–Carpenters.” These workers help carpenters by performing duties requiring less skill, some of which include: using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work areas and equipment.
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5. Stonemasons
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +28.3%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +5.7%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $56,930
- Mean annual wage (2018): $44,370
- Total employment (2023): 9,790
Stonemasons build stone structures, such as piers, walls, and abutments. They may also lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors.
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4. Paperhangers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +32.3%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +9.0%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $54,020
- Mean annual wage (2018): $40,840
- Total employment (2023): 1,830
Paperhangers typically install decorative wall coverings, such as wallpaper and fabric, to enhance the aesthetic appeal of interior spaces.
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3. Miscellaneous Construction Trade Helpers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +33.1%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +9.7%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $43,090
- Mean annual wage (2018): $32,370
- Total employment (2023): 27,250
Official BLS title “Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other.” These workers help skilled trades workers with activities that require less skill. This occupation category specifically excludes helpers of blockmasons, brickmasons, carpenters, electricians, painters, paperhangers, plasterers, pipefitters, pipelayers, plumbers, roofers, steamfitters, stonemasons, stucco masons, and tile and marble setters.
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2. Roofer Helpers
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +33.2%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +9.8%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $42,280
- Mean annual wage (2018): $31,740
- Total employment (2023): 4,540
Official BLS title “Helpers–Roofers.” These workers help skilled roofers by performing lower-level job tasks, such as using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work areas and equipment.
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1. Quarry Rock Splitters
- 5-year percentage change in wage (nominal): +33.8%
- 5-year percentage change in wage (inflation-adjusted): +10.2%
- Mean annual wage (2023): $47,830
- Mean annual wage (2018): $35,760
- Total employment (2023): 3,610
Official BLS title “Rock Splitters, Quarry”. These workers typically separate blocks of rough dimension stone from quarry mass using jackhammers, wedges, or chop saws.
Detailed Findings & Methodology
Photo Credit: Tong Stocker / Shutterstock
To find the construction jobs with the fastest-growing wages, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The researchers ranked all construction and extraction occupations according to the five-year percentage change in wages from 2018 to 2023. Inflation-adjusted changes as well as total employment levels were also included for context.
For complete results, see Construction Jobs With the Fastest-Growing Wages on Construction Coverage.
