- Construction laborers earned a mean hourly wage of $15.96 and a mean, or average, annual salary of $33,190 in May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Annual wages for the middle 50 percent of construction laborers ranged from $22,700 to $39,750. The lowest 10 percent of employees earn less than $18,430 and the top 10 percent of employees earn more than $56,270.
- The PayScale website lists the hourly rate of construction workers according to their years of experience. In October 2010, construction workers with less than one year of experience earned $9.92 to $16.02 an hour. Those with one to four years of experience earned $10.04 to $16.11 an hour; five to nine years, $10.69 to $17.25 an hour; 10 to 19 years, $14.86 to $22.86 an hour; and 20 years or more, $15.47 to $25.72 an hour.
- The specialty trade contractors industry employed the largest number of construction laborers with an average annual salary of $32,550, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other industries that employed large numbers were: nonresidential building construction, $35,840; foundation, structure and building exterior contractors, $32,370; residential building construction, $31,540; and highway, street and bridge construction, $37,290.
- The motion picture and video industries paid the highest average annual salary to construction laborers, with $63,360, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other industries that offered high pay were: rail transportation, $47,470; electric power generation, transmission and distribution, $44,230; natural gas distribution, $43,710; and management of companies and enterprises, $42,820.
- Hawaii paid the highest average annual salary above all other states to construction laborers, with $49,400, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics in May 2009. Other states that offered high pay were: Alaska, $49,190; New York, $47,440; Massachusetts, $46,810; and New Jersey, $46,620.
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