Photo by Elvert Barnes, CC BY-SA 2.0
The construction industry is in need of workers and the industry is generally struggling to attract younger workers to the job site. There’s real money to be made in the construction industry, even more so than many other industries. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average yearly median pay for those in the construction industry was around $6,000 higher than all other occupations.
Last year, we put out a list of the top 10 highest paid construction jobs that only require a high school diploma, but as MoneyTalksNews correctly points out, those wages can vary greatly by state.
If you’re looking to start a career in the construction industry, being hired as a construction laborer is a typical entry level position. Below you’ll find a graph and a list of the average hourly wage for construction laborers in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, so you can see how your state stacks up. All data was pulled from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data from May 2016.
click for larger image
Rankings by State
51. Arkansas -- $12.38/hour
50. North Carolina -- $13.50/hour
49. Alabama -- $13.74/hour
48. Mississippi -- $13.92/hour
47. Florida -- $14.00/hour
46. South Dakota -- $14.02/hour
45. Oklahoma -- $14.19/hour
44. Tennessee -- $14.25/hour
43. New Mexico -- $14.30/hour
42. South Carolina -- $14.31/hour
41. Virginia -- $14.31/hour
40. Idaho -- $14.41/hour
39. Nebraska -- $14.50/hour
38. Texas -- $14.62/hour
37. Utah -- $14.80/hour
36. Maine -- $14.93/hour
35. Louisiana -- $15.07/hour
34. Georgia -- $15.69/hour
33. Arizona -- $15.84/hour
32. Vermont -- $15.94/hour
31. Maryland -- $15.96/hour
30. Kentucky -- $15.97/hour
29. Kansas -- $16.29/hour
28. Wyoming -- $16.45/hour
27. West Virginia -- $16.47/hour
26. Colorado -- $16.52/hour
25. Delaware -- $16.57/hour
24. New Hampshire -- $17.16/hour
23. Iowa -- $17.23/hour
22. Montana -- $18.06/hour
21. Oregon -- $18.13/hour
20. Michigan -- $18.31/hour
19. Indiana -- $18.57/hour
18. Pennsylvania -- $18.61/hour
17. Nevada -- $18.90/hour
16. North Dakota -- $19.10/hour
15. Ohio -- $19.20/hour
14. District of Columbia -- $19.87/hour
13. Wisconsin -- $19.93/hour
12. Rhode Island -- $20.45/hour
11. Missouri -- $20.51/hour
10. California -- $21.26/hour
9. Connecticut -- $21.47/hour
8. Washington -- $22.00/hour
7. Minnesota -- $22.88/hour
6. New York -- $23.11/hour
5. Alaska -- $23.88/hour
4. New Jersey -- $24.05/hour
3. Massachusetts -- $25.84/hour
2. Hawaii -- $27.01/hour
1. Illinois -- $27.01/hour
Being a construction worker is truly satisfying, because at the end of the project you have a tangible product you can admire for all your hard work. You get up early, you work long hours in less than ideal conditions, and you sweat a lot. But, even though many find it satisfying, the main reason we work is for money.