Find a Job You Really Want In
Construction Workers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as construction workers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since construction workers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where construction workers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for construction workers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s construction workers:
So there you have it — Construction Laborers is the best of the best when it comes to being a construction worker.
How did Construction Laborers end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for construction workers and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- Best Companies To Work For In Seattle, WA
- These Are The 10 Companies That Are Hiring The Most In Seattle
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Seattle
How we determined the best states to be a construction worker
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for construction workers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well construction workers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for construction workers in California is $48,250 and the average salary in Illinois is $59,960, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for construction workers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for construction workers.
1. Washington
Total Jobs: 28,980
Average Annual Salary: $48,070
Average Entry Level Salary: $29,490
Average Experienced Salary: $74,330
Location Quotient: 1.29
2. Missouri
Total Jobs: 20,020
Average Annual Salary: $47,270
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,250
Average Experienced Salary: $75,900
Location Quotient: 1.03
3. North Dakota
Total Jobs: 4,610
Average Annual Salary: $42,000
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,600
Average Experienced Salary: $56,880
Location Quotient: 1.6
4. Iowa
Total Jobs: 12,870
Average Annual Salary: $37,510
Average Entry Level Salary: $25,830
Average Experienced Salary: $52,110
Location Quotient: 1.21
5. Ohio
Total Jobs: 36,990
Average Annual Salary: $44,030
Average Entry Level Salary: $25,480
Average Experienced Salary: $68,120
Location Quotient: 0.99
6. Illinois
Total Jobs: 33,270
Average Annual Salary: $59,960
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,370
Average Experienced Salary: $98,120
Location Quotient: 0.8
7. Wyoming
Total Jobs: 3,110
Average Annual Salary: $36,160
Average Entry Level Salary: $25,680
Average Experienced Salary: $48,590
Location Quotient: 1.67
8. Indiana
Total Jobs: 22,080
Average Annual Salary: $38,380
Average Entry Level Salary: $22,730
Average Experienced Salary: $58,150
Location Quotient: 1.05
9. Michigan
Total Jobs: 24,500
Average Annual Salary: $39,700
Average Entry Level Salary: $25,270
Average Experienced Salary: $58,280
Location Quotient: 0.82
10. Minnesota
Total Jobs: 12,810
Average Annual Salary: $52,150
Average Entry Level Salary: $29,130
Average Experienced Salary: $78,720
Location Quotient: 0.65
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Construction Worker
If you’re looking to start out your career as a construction worker these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a construction worker in America:
For more reading, check out:
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Washington
- These Are The 100 Largest Companies In Washington
Detailed List Of The Best States For construction workers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $48,070 |
| 2 | Missouri | $47,270 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $42,000 |
| 4 | Iowa | $37,510 |
| 5 | Ohio | $44,030 |
| 6 | Illinois | $59,960 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $36,160 |
| 8 | Indiana | $38,380 |
| 9 | Michigan | $39,700 |
| 10 | Minnesota | $52,150 |
| 11 | Kansas | $35,600 |
| 12 | Alaska | $51,470 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $43,900 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $41,260 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $36,450 |
| 16 | Louisiana | $35,120 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $36,150 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $52,780 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $53,540 |
| 20 | Montana | $37,330 |
| 21 | Texas | $32,630 |
| 22 | Utah | $33,680 |
| 23 | Arizona | $36,000 |
| 24 | Connecticut | $49,700 |
| 25 | Georgia | $33,600 |
| 26 | New York | $51,720 |
| 27 | Idaho | $32,630 |
| 28 | Nebraska | $34,660 |
| 29 | Nevada | $37,100 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $32,070 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $47,030 |
| 32 | Oregon | $41,080 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $30,410 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $31,940 |
| 35 | Colorado | $36,520 |
| 36 | California | $48,250 |
| 37 | Hawaii | $58,770 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $31,230 |
| 39 | Delaware | $35,640 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $31,090 |
| 41 | Alabama | $32,000 |
| 42 | Florida | $31,630 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | $38,490 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $29,070 |
| 45 | Virginia | $31,950 |
| 46 | North Carolina | $30,280 |
| 47 | Maryland | $34,420 |
| 48 | Vermont | $36,120 |
| 49 | Maine | $32,950 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $30,700 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
