Wage growth in construction continued to decelerate in April on a national basis, but the differences across regional markets remain stark. Nationally, average hourly earnings (AHE) in construction increased 3.6% year-over-year and crossed the $39.3 mark when averaged across all payroll employees (non-seasonally adjusted, NSA). Meanwhile, average earnings in construction in Alaska and Massachusetts exceeded $50 per hour (NSA). Across states, the annual growth rate in AHE ranged from 10.6% in Nevada to a decline of 3% in Oklahoma. This is according to the latest Current Employment Statistics (CES) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).   

Average hourly earnings (AHE) in construction vary greatly across 43 states that report these data. Alaska, states along the Pacific coast, Illinois, Minnesota, and the majority of states in Northeast record the highest AHE. As of April 2025, fourteen states report average earnings (NSA) exceeding $40 per hour.

At the other end of the spectrum, nine states report NSA average hourly earnings in construction under $34. The states with the lowest AHE are mostly in the South, with Arkansas reporting the lowest rate of $29.3 per hour.

While differences in regional hourly rates reflect variation in the cost of living across states among other things, the faster growing wages are more likely to indicate specific labor markets that are particularly tight. Year-over-year, Nevada, Mississippi, Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, and Montana reported fastest growing hourly wages in construction, more than doubling the national average growth of 3.6%. Nevada reported the largest annual increase of 10.6%, while the growth rate in Mississippi and Alaska was just under 10%.

In sharp contrast, Oklahoma registered a decline in hourly wages of 3%. Five other states reported modestly declining hourly rates in construction, compared to a year ago – Louisiana, Missouri, Rhode Island, California, and Wisconsin.