Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

47-2061 Construction Laborers

Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers. Construction laborers who primarily assist a particular craft worker are classified under "Helpers, Construction Trades" (47-3010). Excludes "Hazardous Materials Removal Workers" (47-4041).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
779,370 0.9 % $16.43 $34,170 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.05 $11.03 $14.30 $19.61 $28.00
Annual Wage (2) $18,820 $22,940 $29,730 $40,800 $58,250


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 115,800 21.68 $16.23 $33,760
Nonresidential Building Construction 99,750 15.33 $17.49 $36,380
Residential Building Construction 86,070 14.92 $15.49 $32,220
Utility System Construction 80,070 20.19 $16.64 $34,600
Employment Services 76,110 2.58 $13.90 $28,910

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 73,490 24.74 $18.28 $38,030
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 24,010 24.68 $18.32 $38,110
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 115,800 21.68 $16.23 $33,760
Utility System Construction 80,070 20.19 $16.64 $34,600
Nonresidential Building Construction 99,750 15.33 $17.49 $36,380

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Motion Picture and Video Industries 120 0.03 $32.12 $66,810
Scientific Research and Development Services 220 0.04 $24.07 $50,070
Natural Gas Distribution 1,870 1.72 $22.59 $46,990
Activities Related to Real Estate 460 0.08 $21.92 $45,600
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 1,030 0.26 $21.79 $45,320


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 101,330 9.83 1.62 $12.25 $25,490
California 83,990 5.98 0.98 $20.10 $41,800
New York 47,720 5.66 0.93 $23.72 $49,340
Illinois 42,680 7.66 1.26 $19.19 $39,920
Florida 39,900 5.58 0.92 $12.74 $26,490




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Mexico 9,050 11.64 1.92 $12.83 $26,690
Texas 101,330 9.83 1.62 $12.25 $25,490
Utah 11,400 9.78 1.61 $13.32 $27,700
Wyoming 2,640 9.67 1.59 $14.80 $30,790
West Virginia 6,490 9.27 1.53 $15.95 $33,170




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 3,180 5.51 0.91 $24.67 $51,320
New York 47,720 5.66 0.93 $23.72 $49,340
Massachusetts 14,980 4.75 0.78 $23.40 $48,670
New Jersey 17,240 4.57 0.75 $22.90 $47,630
Alaska 2,640 8.42 1.39 $22.26 $46,310





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 28,460 7.94 1.31 $18.83 $39,170
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 28,430 11.14 1.83 $12.55 $26,100
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 24,740 4.89 0.80 $27.37 $56,930
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 18,130 4.74 0.78 $19.55 $40,670
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 16,180 7.91 1.30 $12.29 $25,570
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 14,570 6.31 1.04 $15.43 $32,090
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 13,690 8.06 1.33 $14.79 $30,760
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 12,580 5.65 0.93 $14.46 $30,080
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 9,650 6.96 1.15 $19.45 $40,460
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 9,090 7.96 1.31 $20.17 $41,960




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX 4,580 29.56 4.86 $14.54 $30,230
Odessa, TX 1,740 28.09 4.62 $12.91 $26,860
Farmington, NM 1,150 23.79 3.92 $12.75 $26,520
Victoria, TX 990 20.86 3.43 $12.09 $25,150
Pittsfield, MA 550 16.28 2.68 $17.18 $35,720
Waco, TX 1,570 15.71 2.59 $12.12 $25,210
Baton Rouge, LA 5,470 15.34 2.53 $12.54 $26,080
Alexandria, LA 950 15.33 2.52 $12.78 $26,570
Greeley, CO 1,170 15.07 2.48 $14.79 $30,770
Longview, TX 1,420 15.03 2.47 $12.15 $25,260




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Framingham, MA NECTA Division 1,070 6.89 1.13 $27.58 $57,370
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 24,740 4.89 0.80 $27.37 $56,930
Leominster-Fitchburg-Gardner, MA 260 5.47 0.90 $26.94 $56,030
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 6,820 4.07 0.67 $25.69 $53,440
Trenton-Ewing, NJ 810 3.73 0.61 $25.54 $53,120
Honolulu, HI 2,450 5.76 0.95 $25.32 $52,660
Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division 740 8.61 1.42 $25.05 $52,100
Newark-Union, NJ-PA Metropolitan Division 4,270 4.50 0.74 $24.92 $51,830
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 4,770 4.97 0.82 $24.54 $51,030
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 3,590 2.10 0.35 $24.53 $51,020

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area 3,430 13.88 2.28 $12.44 $25,870
Eastern Texas nonmetropolitan area 3,030 10.93 1.80 $12.68 $26,360
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 2,320 8.40 1.38 $16.44 $34,190
Central Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,260 16.30 2.68 $12.63 $26,270
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 2,190 5.76 0.95 $12.27 $25,520

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern Utah nonmetropolitan area 340 19.49 3.21 $12.38 $25,760
Eastern Utah nonmetropolitan area 950 19.28 3.17 $15.10 $31,420
Central Texas nonmetropolitan area 2,260 16.30 2.68 $12.63 $26,270
Garrett County, Maryland nonmetropolitan area 170 15.63 2.57 $14.41 $29,970
Far Western North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 720 15.53 2.56 $16.07 $33,420

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southeast Alaska nonmetropolitan area 230 6.58 1.08 $24.10 $50,130
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 730 4.82 0.79 $22.52 $46,840
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 1,070 14.90 2.45 $22.09 $45,960
Southwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area 410 6.60 1.09 $21.00 $43,670
Northwestern Connecticut nonmetropolitan area 230 6.68 1.10 $20.48 $42,600


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012