Construction laborers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

1.53M

Average Age

38.4

Estimated Job Growth

5.39%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$37,708

Average Male Salary

$37,850

Average Female Salary

$33,846

About

Construction laborers are most often employed by the Construction industry. The average yearly wage for Construction laborers was $37,708 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Construction laborers by wage are Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic, Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive, and Prepress technicians & workers.

Construction laborers are part of the Construction & Extraction Occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of construction trades & extraction workers, Boilermakers, Carpenters, Carpet, floor, & tile installers & finishers, Cement masons, concrete finishers, & terrazzo workers, and 28 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Construction laborers are Jackson Heights & North Corona PUMA, NY, Newark City (North & East) PUMA, NJ, and Gwinnett County (Southwest)Lilburn City PUMA, GA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Construction laborers are Newark City (North & East) PUMA, NJ, Jackson Heights & North Corona PUMA, NY, and Between Loop I-610 & Beltway TX-8 PUMA, TX (79500US4804608).

Photo by Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Construction laborers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Construction is the industry that employs the most Construction laborers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Construction laborers, by average wage, is Electric & gas, and other combinations. Construction laborers are paid most in Ouachita Parish PUMA, LA but are relatively concentrated in Newark City (North & East) PUMA, NJ.

Yearly Wage

$37,708

AVERAGE SALARY

± $646

In 2020, Construction laborers earned an average of $37,708, $18,246 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Prepress technicians & workers make somewhat more than Construction laborers while Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Construction laborers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.389

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Construction laborers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.389, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Construction laborers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Construction laborers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Construction laborers

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Construction laborers.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Construction laborers, by number of employees, are Construction, Employment services, Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers, Electric power generation, transmission & distribution, Landscaping services, Real estate property managers, offices of real estate appraisers, and other activities related to real estate, Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems, Building material & supplies dealers, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Architectural, engineering & related services, and Natural gas distribution.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Construction laborers, by average wage, are Electric & gas, and other combinations, Oil & gas extraction, and Natural gas distribution.

Industries by Share

1.53M

2020 Workforce

± 30,247

−0.241%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.79%

The number of people employed as Construction laborers has been declining at a rate of −0.241%, from 1,537,393 people in 2019 to 1,533,687 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Construction laborers employed by various industries. Construction employs the largest share of Construction laborers at 95.5%, followed by Employment services with 0.675% and Lessors of real estate, and offices of real estate agents and brokers with 0.275%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Construction laborers in the US. The average age of male Construction laborers in the workforce is 38.3 and of female Construction laborers is 39.8, and the most common race/ethnicity for Construction laborers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

1.48M

MALE WORKFORCE

± 29,712

54.4k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 5,724

96.5% of Construction laborers are Male, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Construction laborers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Construction laborers

White (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)
Other (Hispanic)

43.4% of Construction laborers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 23.8% of Construction laborers, White (Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Construction laborers.

Age by Sex

38.3

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.259

39.8

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.37

The median age of Construction laborers is 38.4, and Male employees are generally 1.48 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Construction laborers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Construction laborers is Business but a relatively high number of Construction laborers hold a major in Construction.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Construction laborers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Construction laborers need many skills, but most especially Coordination, Active Listening, and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Construction laborers need more than the average amount of Installation, Equipment Maintenance, and Equipment Selection.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Construction Laborers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Construction Laborers are expected to see a growth of 5.39% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

5.39%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Construction Laborers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.