Official pay data
Updated October 8, 2026
Salary guide
Official annual estimates for the whole country, mapped to the closest published occupation.
United States · annual wage estimate
25th percentile
$38,620
Median
$47,120
75th percentile
$59,740
BLS covers wage and salary employees, including part-time workers, but excludes self-employed workers and owners or partners in unincorporated firms. Wages include commissions and production bonuses, but exclude overtime premiums, employer benefits, and non-production bonuses; this is not a base-pay-only or total-compensation measure. Annual wage estimates generally convert hourly rates using a full-time, year-round schedule of 2,080 hours. Actual annual earnings on a shorter schedule can be lower.
This is a country-level occupation benchmark, not a local offer estimate. Pay can differ by location, employer, duties, and working pattern.
Source: BLS, 2025-05-01. Mapped to Construction laborers; the occupation is broader than the page role. Figures are estimates, not advertised salaries.
This national benchmark fits Construction Laborers whose work centers on physical labor at construction sites: preparing and cleaning sites, moving materials, digging or compacting earth, using tools, and assisting craft workers. It is less exact for a narrowly specialized assignment, such as a road crew, pipe work, or green-certified project duties.
Benchmark fit
The benchmark is useful when the job is a Construction Laborer role with broad site-based physical work. It should be treated as a broad occupational comparison, not as a price for a particular assignment or a guarantee for specialized road, pipe, or environmental work.
Nearby titles: Reported titles associated with this occupation include Construction Worker, Site Work Laborer, Form Setter, Scaffolding Operator, Toolman, and Equipment Operator..
A similar reported title does not prove that a job carries the full Construction Laborer scope. Assistance to skilled trades also does not make the laborer equivalent to those trades.
Role scope
Construction Laborers perform physical work that keeps construction sites prepared, supplied, and moving through different phases of a project.
Clean or prepare sites, move materials, dig trenches, backfill excavations, and compact or grade earth. · Read plans or instructions and measure, mark, or record openings and distances when the assignment calls for layout work. · Signal equipment operators and tend pumps, compressors, or generators on assigned work. · Assist craft workers; some assignments involve pipe placement, concrete or aggregate work, traffic control, or project-specific waste and erosion controls.
A prepared work area with materials and equipment positioned for the assigned construction activity. · Completed assigned earthwork, layout support, equipment support, or trade-assistance tasks.
Construction sites.
It is a reported title associated with the occupation, but the title alone does not establish the full Construction Laborer scope for a particular job.
It is a reported associated title; compare the actual site duties with the broad laborer scope before using this benchmark.
Read the range
A useful comparison is a site-based role involving physical labor, material handling, site preparation, earthwork, tool use, or assistance to craft workers. A job centered on a specialized road-crew, pipe-installation, hazardous-environment, or green-project assignment may sit within the occupation while still having a different day-to-day scope.
One quarter of employees earn below this figure.
Half of employees earn below this figure and half above it; it is not the arithmetic midpoint of the displayed range.
One quarter of employees earn above this figure.
Beyond salary
Compare the offer's fixed cash pay with any conditional cash separately. The benchmark's wage definition includes commissions and production bonuses, but not overtime premiums, employer benefits, or non-production bonuses, so ask how each offered item is calculated and paid.
Ask whether the quoted rate is the guaranteed wage before conditional payments.
If offered, ask for the eligibility rules, calculation method, payment timing, and whether it is a production bonus or commission.
Keep overtime premiums separate when comparing the offer with the displayed wage benchmark.
Ask for the terms of any health coverage, pension contribution, leave, equity, or non-production bonus rather than treating them as part of the benchmarked wage.
Offer review
Questions
Source
Source: BLS, 2025-05-01. The figures cover Construction laborers (47-2061) and all employment. Updated October 8, 2026. This broad occupation benchmark may not match every Construction Laborer vacancy.
Put the benchmark to work
Use the salary range as context. Tailor your resume around the experience that supports your target level.
