SOC 47-2061.00Bright outlook

    Construction Laborers

    Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites.

    Median pay
    $47,120
    Growth
    +7.3%
    Faster than average
    Openings a year
    120,000
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $35,090
    Median
    $47,120
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $78,090
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    1,096,780 people work in this occupation.

    What construction laborers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    28 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    6 / 100
    Social (S)
    4 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    6 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    44 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    94
    Getting Information
    85
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    85
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    84
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    80
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    79
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    79
    Handling and Moving Objects
    77
    Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    77
    Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment
    75
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Speaking
    • Active Listening
    • Coordination
    • Operation and Control
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Critical Thinking
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Equipment Selection
    • Monitoring

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Mechanical
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Education and Training
    • Administration and Management
    • Design
    • Mathematics
    • English Language
    • Engineering and Technology

    Abilities

    • Manual Dexterity
    • Static Strength
    • Multilimb Coordination
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Near Vision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Oral Expression
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Trunk Strength

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Perseverance
    • Cautiousness
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Self-Control
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Air Breaker Operator · Air Drill Operator · Air Gun Operator · Air Hammer Operator · Air Tool Operator · Aluminum Pool Installer · Asbestos Removal Worker · Asphalt Distributor Tender · Asphalt Heater Tender · Asphalt Layer

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What construction laborers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work. Showing 12 of 17.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    11 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.