Skilled Wages

Highest-paying construction jobs

Computed from public data; nothing hand-picked.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

  1. 1$55.28Construction manager
  2. 2$52.84Elevator mechanic
  3. 3$45.83Lineman

Construction occupations ranked by median pay

Construction occupations from the BLS employer survey, ranked by median hourly wage. The list covers the building trades plus the two supervisory occupations (first-line supervisors and construction managers), which are included because they are the usual next step for a journeyman. Wages are straight-time and exclude overtime, per-diem and the fringe benefits that make up a large share of union total packages; those packages are on each trade's state pages. Supervisors and managers are salaried more often than the trades below them, so their hourly figures are BLS conversions of annual pay.

Median hourly wage, construction occupations$0$20$40$60/hrConstruction manager: $55.28Construction manager$55.28Elevator mechanic: $52.84Elevator mechanic$52.84Lineman: $45.83Lineman$45.83Construction supervisor: $38.42Construction supervisor$38.42Boilermaker: $36.74Boilermaker$36.74Crane operator: $32.73Crane operator$32.73Millwright: $31.59Millwright$31.59Plumber: $30.67Plumber$30.67Electrician: $30.38Electrician$30.38Ironworker: $30.18Ironworker$30.18Brickmason: $29.87Brickmason$29.87Sheet metal worker: $29.71Sheet metal worker$29.71HVAC technician: $29.33HVAC technician$29.33Carpenter: $29.12Carpenter$29.12Heavy equipment operator: $28.78Heavy equipment operator$28.78Drywall installer: $28.33Drywall installer$28.33Plasterer: $27.72Plasterer$27.72Glazier: $27.44Glazier$27.44Cement mason: $27.41Cement mason$27.41Tile setter: $26.77Tile setter$26.77Roofer: $26.65Roofer$26.65Solar installer: $25.55Solar installer$25.55Painter: $23.75Painter$23.75Insulation worker: $23.62Insulation worker$23.62Construction laborer: $22.66Construction laborer$22.66
Median hourly wage, construction occupations, May 2025.
#OccupationMedian $/hrMedian $/yrTop 10% earn overJobs
1Construction manager$55.28$114,990$189,440380,360
2Elevator mechanic$52.84$109,910$158,89023,790
3Lineman$45.83$95,320$128,690131,070
4Construction supervisor$38.42$79,920$128,260812,210
5Boilermaker$36.74$76,410$110,37010,190
6Crane operator$32.73$68,080$103,57042,890
7Millwright$31.59$65,700$93,60040,330
8Plumber$30.67$63,800$108,420465,840
9Electrician$30.38$63,190$108,510757,220
10Ironworker$30.18$62,780$108,26068,380
11Brickmason$29.87$62,120$100,01052,550
12Sheet metal worker$29.71$61,800$105,650119,770
13HVAC technician$29.33$61,010$95,210409,670
14Carpenter$29.12$60,580$99,910670,090
15Heavy equipment operator$28.78$59,850$101,090478,090
16Drywall installer$28.33$58,930$102,01083,080
17Plasterer$27.72$57,660$96,71019,310
18Glazier$27.44$57,080$89,79058,480
19Cement mason$27.41$57,020$85,480206,170
20Tile setter$26.77$55,690$86,11035,850
21Roofer$26.65$55,440$81,720135,490
22Solar installer$25.55$53,140$79,97031,350
23Painter$23.75$49,400$78,810225,190
24Insulation worker$23.62$49,120$78,19044,440
25Construction laborer$22.66$47,120$78,0901,096,780

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying construction job?

Construction managers at a median of $55.28 an hour, followed by elevator and escalator installers and repairers ($52.84) and electrical power-line installers and repairers ($45.83).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
  • BLS Employment Projections; BLS CPI-U; BEA Regional Price Parities; SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations (not the official determination).