Rhode Island prevailing wage rates, by county
What contractors must pay each trade on federally funded jobs in Rhode Island, county by county. Wage plus fringe, next to what the same trade earns on private work.
Look up the prevailing wage in your Rhode Island county
Rates by county for the main trades
| County | Electrician | Plumber | Carpenter | Construction laborer | Heavy equipment operator | Ironworker | Sheet metal worker | Painter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol | $80.85 | $88.84 | $78.38 | $65.90 | $78.52 | $76.56 | $86.36 | $64.37 |
| Kent | $80.85 | $88.84 | $78.38 | $65.90 | $78.52 | $76.56 | $86.36 | $64.37 |
| Newport | $80.85 | $88.84 | $78.38 | $65.90 | $78.52 | $76.56 | $86.36 | $64.37 |
| Providence | $80.85 | $88.84 | $78.38 | $65.90 | $78.52 | $76.56 | $86.36 | $64.37 |
| Washington | $80.85 | $88.84 | $78.38 | $65.90 | $78.52 | $76.56 | $86.36 | $64.37 |
Building construction, wage + fringe per hour, current revision. * = survey rate. Not the official determination: the lookup gives the determination number and a link to the official text.
Prevailing wage vs market pay in Rhode Island
The prevailing wage is what federally funded jobs must pay. The market median is what Rhode Island employers report paying across all work, with no benefits in it. Every trade in the state is ranked on the highest-paying trades in Rhode Island page, and every state is compared on the prevailing wage rates by state page.
| Trade | Market median $/hr | Prevailing wage $/hr (wage + fringe) | Rate type | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician in Rhode Island | $35.62 | $80.85 | Union | +$45.23 |
| Plumber in Rhode Island | $36.77 | $88.84 | Union | +$52.07 |
| Carpenter in Rhode Island | $29.25 | $78.38 | Union | +$49.13 |
| Construction laborer in Rhode Island | $27.52 | $65.90 | Union | +$38.38 |
| Heavy equipment operator in Rhode Island | $30.58 | $78.52 | Union | +$47.94 |
| Ironworker in Rhode Island | $47.27 | $76.56 | Union | +$29.29 |
| Sheet metal worker in Rhode Island | $31.30 | $86.36 | Union | +$55.06 |
| Painter in Rhode Island | $20.00 | $64.37 | Union | +$44.37 |
Prevailing wage is the typical Davis-Bacon rate across counties with one, Building construction. The market median has no benefits in it, so the gap is bigger than the difference in take-home pay. Not the official determination.
Questions this page answers
What is the prevailing wage in Rhode Island?
On federally funded construction in Rhode Island, it is the Davis-Bacon rate: a wage plus a fringe amount for benefits, set by county and trade in 4 wage determinations covering Building, Residential, Heavy and Highway work. Electricians are on a union rate in 5 of the 5 counties with a Building rate, and the typical union rate is $80.85 an hour, wage and fringe together.
How many Davis-Bacon wage determinations cover Rhode Island?
4 active determinations cover Rhode Island: 1 Building, 2 Heavy, 1 Highway, 2 Residential. The Building ones list rates for 5 counties, shown on this page. This page covers the federal rates; state-funded jobs may fall under Rhode Island's own prevailing wage law.
How often do the rates change?
The Department of Labor publishes changes most Thursdays. The latest change to a Rhode Island determination in our data is dated 2026-10-01. New determination numbers come out each January.
Sources and notes
- SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations for Rhode Island, current revisions as of 2026-11-06: Building 1, Heavy 2, Highway 1, Residential 2.
- BLS OEWS May 2025 for market medians.
- Trade names simplified from the official classification labels by Skilled Wages; where a determination lists several electrician or laborer classes, the journeyman or general class is shown. The official text governs.