Construction and Extraction Jobs: Every Major Occupation’s Pay, Ranked (May 2025 BLS Data)
- The median annual wage for construction and extraction occupations was $59,540 in May 2025, above the $50,980 median for all U.S. jobs.
- The group employed about 6,425,160 people nationwide.
- Its best-paid occupation with at least 10,000 jobs was elevator and escalator installers and repairers ($109,910); the lowest-paid was Helpers–Pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters ($42,360).
BLS sorts every job in the country into 22 major occupational groups. This one, “Construction and Extraction Occupations” (SOC 47-0000), covers the occupations below. All pay and job counts come from the BLS OEWS national data, May 2025; the typical entry education for each job comes from BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35. Use the tables to see where your job sits in its field and which nearby jobs pay more.
Highest-paying jobs in the group
Occupations with at least 10,000 U.S. jobs, ranked by median annual wage:
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Hourly median | U.S. jobs | Typical entry education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $109,910 | $52.84 | 23,790 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $79,920 | $38.42 | 812,210 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Boilermakers | $76,410 | $36.74 | 10,190 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | $74,690 | $35.91 | 146,720 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators | $70,070 | $33.69 | 19,580 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Tapers | $68,270 | $32.82 | 12,840 | No formal educational credential |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | $67,890 | $32.64 | 12,600 | No formal educational credential |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $63,800 | $30.67 | 465,840 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Electricians | $63,190 | $30.38 | 757,220 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $62,780 | $30.18 | 68,380 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | $62,120 | $29.87 | 52,550 | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | $61,810 | $29.72 | 14,000 | No formal educational credential |
Lowest-paying jobs in the group
| Occupation | Median annual wage | U.S. jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Helpers–Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $42,360 | 44,330 |
| Helpers–Electricians | $42,670 | 63,630 |
| Helpers–Carpenters | $43,780 | 21,680 |
| Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | $46,960 | 44,970 |
| Construction Laborers | $47,120 | 1,096,780 |
The most common jobs in the group
These are the occupations most people in this field actually hold:
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | 10th percentile | Median | 90th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Laborers | 1,096,780 | $35,090 | $47,120 | $78,090 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 812,210 | $53,280 | $79,920 | $128,260 |
| Electricians | 757,220 | $42,640 | $63,190 | $108,510 |
| Carpenters | 670,090 | $40,410 | $60,580 | $99,910 |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 478,090 | $42,190 | $59,850 | $101,090 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 465,840 | $44,150 | $63,800 | $108,420 |
| Painters, Construction and Maintenance | 225,190 | $37,440 | $49,400 | $78,810 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 206,170 | $39,190 | $57,020 | $85,480 |
Where construction and extraction jobs pay the most
States with the highest median wage for the whole group (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| State | Group median wage | Jobs in the group |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $82,440 | 29,590 |
| Illinois | $80,570 | 187,190 |
| Massachusetts | $77,480 | 132,960 |
| Alaska | $75,620 | 21,690 |
| Washington | $75,500 | 167,890 |
The lowest group medians were in Arkansas ($45,870), Mississippi ($46,800), Alabama ($47,810). Part of the gap reflects living costs and part reflects which jobs in the group are common in each state.
No bachelor’s degree? The best-paid job in this group with a typical entry requirement below a four-year degree was elevator and escalator installers and repairers, at a median of $109,910 (high school diploma or equivalent typically needed).
How to use this for a raise or a move
- Benchmark inside your field. Find your occupation in the tables and compare your pay with its median and with the 10th and 90th percentiles.
- Look one step over. The best-paid jobs in a group often use the same skills as the common ones. A certificate or license can move you up a row.
- Location matters. The state table shows how much the same kind of work pays in different places.
- Base pay only. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Published October 29, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point: the state where construction and extraction jobs make up the largest share of local employment is Wyoming, with a location quotient of 2.2 (25,520 jobs at a group median of $59,750). A location quotient above 1 means the group is a bigger share of the state’s jobs than it is nationally. Source: BLS OEWS state data, May 2025; location quotients are explained in the BLS OEWS overview.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk