Skilled Wages

Construction laborer salary in Alaska

Median $27.91 an hour for 3,690 construction laborers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$27.91/hrMedian hourly wageAlaska, May data
$58,060/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.26 – $40.2510th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,690Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Construction laborer pay in Alaska: the full range

Wage percentiles, AlaskaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50/hrAlaska: 10th $18.26 · 25th $22.30 · median $27.91 · 75th $33.63 · 90th $40.25Alaska$27.91$18.26$40.25United States: 10th $16.87 · 25th $18.57 · median $22.66 · 75th $28.72 · 90th $37.54United States$22.66
Hourly wage percentiles for construction laborers: Alaska vs United States, May 2025.

Alaska ranks 8th of 51 states for median construction laborer pay, and 9th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $27.26). 3,690 construction laborers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.2× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.26 – $22.30$37,980 – $46,390roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$22.30 – $33.63$46,390 – $69,950the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$33.63 – $40.25$69,950 – $83,710the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Construction laborer pay by metro in Alaska

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrFairbanks: $29.32Fairbanks$29.32Anchorage: $27.00Anchorage$27.00
Median hourly wage for construction laborers by metro area in Alaska, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Fairbanks$21.43$29.32$28.41$41.773305% above
Anchorage$20.52$27.00$25.62$40.161,8603% below

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Construction laborer wages in Alaska over time

Alaska, 1999-2025AlaskaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$10$20$30200020052010201520202025$27.91Alaska$22.66United States
Median hourly wage for construction laborers, Alaska vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearAlaska $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$18.02$34.82$10.852,640
2000$19.26$36.01$11.152,060
2001$18.00$32.72$11.572,660
2002$20.03$35.85$11.902,920
2003$19.84$34.71$11.862,670
2004$18.53$31.58$12.103,410
2005$19.84$32.71$12.223,140
2006$19.07$30.45$12.663,680
2007$19.73$30.64$13.133,690
2008$22.18$33.17$13.713,430
2009$22.62$33.94$14.013,000
2010$22.06$32.57$14.082,600
2011$21.31$30.50$14.302,640
2012$20.73$29.07$14.422,600
2013$20.29$28.04$14.643,020
2014$20.41$27.76$14.953,420
2015$22.39$30.41$15.343,330
2016$24.00$32.19$16.072,820
2017$23.41$30.75$16.602,390
2018$23.84$30.57$17.212,510
2019$24.44$30.78$17.722,770
2020$24.65$30.66$18.222,610
2021$22.76$27.04$18.162,490
2022$24.01$26.41$19.592,640
2023$24.02$25.38$21.782,790
2024$27.87$28.60$22.473,110
2025$27.91$27.91$22.663,690

In today's dollars, the median construction laborer wage in Alaska changed by -8.2% over the last ten years of data and by -9.3% since 2019.

Are there more construction laborer jobs in Alaska?

+33.2%Jobs since 20192,770 then, 3,690 in 2025
+10.8%Jobs over 10 years2015 to 2025, employer survey
11.3Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.6× the US share, 8th of 51 states

Since 1999, the number of construction laborers counted in Alaska has changed by +39.8%, against +43.7% for the country as a whole. Since 2019 the state count changed by +33.2%.

Construction laborers in Alaska vs United States, 1999 = 100AlaskaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages6080100120140160200020052010201520202025144United States140Alaska
Jobs counted by the BLS employer survey, Alaska vs United States, indexed to 1999 = 100. Shaded bands mark survey method changes.
Table
YearAlaska jobsAlaska indexUS index
19992,640100100
20002,06078108
20012,660101108
20022,920111109
20032,670101110
20043,410129112
20053,140119122
20063,680139133
20073,690140138
20083,430130134
20093,000114112
20102,60098102
20112,640100102
20122,60098107
20133,020114108
20143,420130112
20153,330126116
20162,820107120
20172,39090126
20182,51095131
20192,770105134
20202,61099127
20212,49094127
20222,640100133
20232,790106134
20243,110118138
20253,690140144

Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.

Outlook for construction laborers in Alaska

-2.6%Projected growth in Alaska2024–2034, state agency
300Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
3,960Jobs in 20243,860 projected for 2034
+7.3%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Alaska's labor market agency projects the number of construction laborers in the state to change by -2.6% between 2024 and 2034, from 3,960 to 3,860, with about 300 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +7.3% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 3,690 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Alaska labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for construction laborers in Alaska

On federally funded construction in Alaska, contractors must pay construction laborers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 30 of the 30 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $66.83 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $27.91.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, AKAleutians East: $66.83 (union)Aleutians West: $66.83 (union)Anchorage: $66.83 (union)Bethel: $66.83 (union)Bristol Bay: $66.83 (union)Chugach: $66.83 (union)Copper River: $66.83 (union)Denali: $66.83 (union)Dillingham: $66.83 (union)Fairbanks North Star: $66.83 (union)Haines: $66.83 (union)Hoonah-Angoon: $66.83 (union)Juneau: $66.83 (union)Kenai Peninsula: $66.83 (union)Ketchikan Gateway: $66.83 (union)Kodiak Island: $66.83 (union)Kusilvak: $66.83 (union)Lake and Peninsula: $66.83 (union)Matanuska-Susitna: $66.83 (union)Nome: $66.83 (union)North Slope: $66.83 (union)Northwest Arctic: $66.83 (union)Petersburg: $66.83 (union)Prince of Wales-Hyder: $66.83 (union)Sitka: $66.83 (union)Skagway: $66.83 (union)Southeast Fairbanks: $66.83 (union)Wrangell: $66.83 (union)Yakutat: $66.83 (union)Yukon-Koyukuk: $66.83 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for construction laborers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
Aleutians EastUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Aleutians WestUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
AnchorageUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
BethelUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Bristol BayUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
ChugachUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Copper RiverUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
DenaliUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
DillinghamUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Fairbanks North StarUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
HainesUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Hoonah-AngoonUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
JuneauUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Kenai PeninsulaUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001
Ketchikan GatewayUnion LABO0942-001 2026-04-01$31.82$35.01$66.83AK20260001

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Alaska prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Alaska?

19.1kConstruction jobsAlaska, 2026-09
-5.9%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20265k10k15k20k25k30k1990199520002005201020152020202519kSep 2026
Construction employment in Alaska (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just construction laborers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages. Across the 10 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 7,994 in 2015 to 7,572 in 2025, -5.3%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Northwest Arctic Borough542$166,780$3,207
Fairbanks North Star Borough1811,139$97,632$1,878
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area838$94,491$1,817
Anchorage Municipality5363,714$93,075$1,790
Kodiak Island Borough1968$79,339$1,526
Ketchikan Gateway Borough24103$79,182$1,523
Matanuska-Susitna Borough3431,621$78,163$1,503
Juneau City and Borough64268$75,895$1,460
Kenai Peninsula Borough172583$70,416$1,354
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area1222$66,671$1,282
Wrangell City and Borough517$47,986$923
Haines Borough712$44,723$860

Keep comparing

Construction laborer pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Alaska

More on Alaska

Questions this page answers

How much do construction laborers make in Alaska?

The median construction laborer in Alaska earned $27.91 an hour ($58,060 a year) in May 2025, 23% above the national median of $22.66. The middle half earn $22.30–$33.63; the top 10% earn more than $40.25.

Where does Alaska rank for construction laborer pay?

Alaska ranks 8th of 51 states for construction laborer pay, with a median of $27.91 an hour, and 9th after adjusting for Alaska's cost of living (BEA price parity 102.4, US = 100).

What is the union construction laborer rate in Alaska?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for construction laborers in 30 counties, with a typical package of $66.83 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many construction laborers work in Alaska?

BLS counted 3,690 construction laborers in Alaska in May 2025, 11.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.61; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is construction laborer work growing in Alaska?

The BLS employer survey count of construction laborers in Alaska went from 3,330 in 2015 to 3,690 in 2025, +10.8%, and +33.2% since 2019. Alaska's labor market agency projects -2.6% growth for construction laborers between 2024 and 2034, from 3,960 to 3,860 jobs.

How many construction laborer openings a year are there in Alaska?

Alaska projects about 300 openings a year for construction laborers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 120,000 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Alaska and metro areas, SOC 47-2061. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Alaska labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.