Median pay for construction laborers runs from $23,510 in Ponce to $83,680 in Vineland — a 3.56× range across 526 metropolitan areas. The national median of $47,120 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of construction laborers earn below $35,090 and ten per cent above $78,090 — a 2.23× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 66%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
Vineland (NJ) leads and Ponce (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vineland NJ | $83,680 | $40.23 | 1 | 440 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $79,760 | $38.35 | 1.22 | 630 |
| Urban Honolulu HI | $77,960 | $37.48 | 0.97 | 3,040 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $72,610 | $34.91 | 0.69 | 11,620 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $71,920 | $34.58 | 0.57 | 960 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $68,470 | $32.92 | 0.55 | 4,420 |
| Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area | $65,420 | $31.45 | 1.21 | 900 |
| North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area | $64,850 | $31.18 | 1.24 | 960 |
| St. Louis MO-IL | $64,500 | $31.01 | 0.92 | 8,670 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $63,420 | $30.49 | 0.61 | 11,580 |
| Peoria IL | $62,960 | $30.27 | 0.87 | 1,020 |
| Springfield MA | $62,660 | $30.12 | 0.62 | 880 |
| Vallejo CA | $62,500 | $30.05 | 1.07 | 1,080 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $61,970 | $29.79 | 1.26 | 17,330 |
| South Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $61,780 | $29.70 | 1.01 | 1,000 |
| Salinas CA | $61,680 | $29.65 | 0.72 | 950 |
| Worcester MA | $61,410 | $29.52 | 0.67 | 1,650 |
| Springfield IL | $61,400 | $29.52 | 0.72 | 510 |
| Duluth MN-WI | $61,340 | $29.49 | 1.58 | 1,390 |
| Decatur IL | $61,270 | $29.46 | 2.91 | 940 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $61,270 | $29.46 | 0.76 | 50,870 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $60,990 | $29.32 | 1.3 | 330 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $60,890 | $29.27 | 0.84 | 26,690 |
| Bloomington IL | $60,650 | $29.16 | 0.62 | 380 |
| Modesto CA | $60,630 | $29.15 | 0.78 | 1,070 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ponce PR | $23,510 | $11.31 | 1.47 | 660 |
| Mayaguez PR | $23,820 | $11.45 | 1.37 | 500 |
| Aguadilla PR | $24,250 | $11.66 | 1.81 | 620 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $24,270 | $11.67 | 1.45 | 7,060 |
| Arecibo PR | $26,530 | $12.75 | 1.43 | 350 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $26,720 | $12.85 | 2.56 | 530 |
| Guayama PR | $27,470 | $13.21 | 1.05 | 90 |
| Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $31,490 | $15.14 | 0.97 | 1,050 |
| Dothan AL | $32,000 | $15.39 | 1.4 | 600 |
| Gadsden AL | $32,900 | $15.82 | 1.18 | 280 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington NM | $38,150 | $18.34 | 3.91 | 1,310 |
| Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $37,740 | $18.14 | 3.78 | 4,440 |
| Wasatch Front Fringe Utah nonmetropolitan area | $45,620 | $21.93 | 3.2 | 1,530 |
| Lake Charles LA | $45,240 | $21.75 | 2.97 | 2,130 |
| Decatur IL | $61,270 | $29.46 | 2.91 | 940 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur TX | $44,240 | $21.27 | 2.9 | 3,340 |
| Northwestern Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $43,640 | $20.98 | 2.72 | 3,630 |
| Puerto Rico nonmetropolitan area | $26,720 | $12.85 | 2.56 | 530 |
| Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $38,550 | $18.53 | 2.47 | 3,500 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL | $43,290 | $20.81 | 2.43 | 5,230 |
| Wildwood-The Villages FL | $41,170 | $19.79 | 2.43 | 710 |
| Southeast-Central Idaho nonmetropolitan area | $46,650 | $22.43 | 2.4 | 1,640 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $61,270 | $29.46 | 0.76 | 50,870 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $41,350 | $19.88 | 1.47 | 34,080 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $43,960 | $21.14 | 1.04 | 29,670 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $46,910 | $22.56 | 1.74 | 29,230 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $60,890 | $29.27 | 0.84 | 26,690 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $58,810 | $28.28 | 0.49 | 21,730 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $45,520 | $21.88 | 0.92 | 18,280 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $47,430 | $22.80 | 0.8 | 17,710 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $61,970 | $29.79 | 1.26 | 17,330 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $42,010 | $20.20 | 0.81 | 16,460 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $55,120 | $26.50 | 0.71 | 14,580 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $59,740 | $28.72 | 0.89 | 13,040 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 47-2061. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 526 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.