Wage growth in construction continued to slow in April on a nationwide level, but regional inequalities remained sharp.
Average hourly wages (AHE) in construction climbed 3.6% year on year, crossing the $39.3 mark when averaged across all payroll employees (non-seasonally adjusted, NSA).
Meanwhile, average construction wages in Alaska and Massachusetts exceeded $50 per hour (NSA).
AHE’s annual growth rate varied by state, from 10.6% in Nevada to a 3% fall in Oklahoma. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Current Employment Statistics (CES) report.
Average hourly earnings (AHE) in construction vary substantially across the 43 states that provide this information.
Alaska, states along the Pacific coast, Illinois, Minnesota, and the bulk of northeastern states have the greatest AHE. As of April 2025, fourteen states have average wages (NSA) that exceed $40 per hour.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, nine states have NSA average hourly wages in construction of less than $34. The states with the lowest AHE are largely in the South, with Arkansas reporting the lowest rate at $29.3 per hour.
While regional hourly rates reflect variance in the cost of living between states, among other things, faster growing wages are more likely to signal extremely tight labor markets.
Nevada, Mississippi, Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Montana had the fastest growing hourly salaries in construction year after year, more than twice the national average growth rate of 3.6%.
Nevada had the highest yearly gain of 10.6%, while Mississippi and Alaska grew at slightly under 10%.
In comparison, hourly wages in Oklahoma fell by 3%. Five additional states, including Louisiana, Missouri, Rhode Island, California, and Wisconsin, reported somewhat lower hourly rates in construction than a year ago.
[Read more about this topic on Eyeonhousing.org]