# Construction Laborers

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/construction-laborers
- SOC code: 47-2061.00
- Career family: Construction and extraction
- Median annual pay: $47,120 (10th percentile $35,090, 90th percentile $78,090)
- Projected growth: Faster than average, +7.3%
- Openings a year: 120,000
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: yes
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RCI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 100 |
| Investigative (I) | 28 |
| Artistic (A) | 6 |
| Social (S) | 4 |
| Enterprising (E) | 6 |
| Conventional (C) | 44 |

## What you'd do

- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials (importance 94/100)
- Getting Information (importance 85/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 85/100)
- Controlling Machines and Processes (importance 84/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 80/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 79/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 79/100)
- Handling and Moving Objects (importance 77/100)
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment (importance 77/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment (importance 75/100)

## 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

## 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

## Related careers

- [Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/paving-surfacing-and-tamping-equipment-operators): $53,340 median pay
- [Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/excavating-and-loading-machine-and-dragline-operators-surface-mining): $57,430 median pay
- [Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/cement-masons-and-concrete-finishers): $57,020 median pay
- [Pipelayers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/pipelayers): $49,000 median pay
- [Structural Iron and Steel Workers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/structural-iron-and-steel-workers): $62,780 median pay
- [Brickmasons and Blockmasons](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/brickmasons-and-blockmasons): $62,120 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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.