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Highway maintenance worker salary

Average highway maintenance worker salary

$40,488

$19.47 hourly rate

Entry-level highway maintenance worker salary
$30,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Highway Maintenance Worker Salary

The average salary for a highway maintenance worker stands at $40,488 per year, or roughly $19 per hour. This figure can vary based on several factors including geographic location and experience level. For instance, workers in states like California and New York tend to earn higher wages due to the cost of living and demand for skilled labor.

Salary by Experience

Entry-level positions typically start at a lower salary, around $30,000, while experienced workers can earn upwards of $50,000 annually. Understanding these salary dynamics is crucial for prospective employees.

Job Opportunities

Highway maintenance workers are essential for ensuring the safety of our roadways. They perform various tasks, including road repairs, snow removal, and traffic management. Seeking positions through job boards like Zippia can connect candidates with opportunities that match their skills and salary expectations.

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Where can a Highway Maintenance Worker earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
81k
61k
41k
21k
546
Columbus, OH$52,249
Charleston, SC$30,546
Compare salary by company
Vs
68k
48k
28k
8k
Washington State University$50,190
Outagamie County$37,589

Highway maintenance worker salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level highway maintenance worker$40,000$19.25
Mid-level highway maintenance worker$43,000$20.69
Senior-level highway maintenance worker$54,600$26.23

Highway maintenance worker salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a highway maintenance worker typically falls between $39,693 and $57,856.
zippia
$40,488yearly
glassdoor[1]
$50,464yearly
comparably[2]
$57,856yearly
Salary.com[3]
$39,693yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$48,201yearly
CareerExplorer[5]
$45,880yearly

Average highway maintenance worker salary by state

The average highway maintenance worker salary in New Jersey, Maine, and Illinois are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average highway maintenance worker salary states are Hawaii, South Carolina, and Montana.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for highway maintenance workers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Hampshire$50,148$24.11
2Washington$51,950$24.98
3Idaho$51,182$24.61
4Maine$56,524$27.18
5Connecticut$50,539$24.30
6Illinois$52,874$25.42
7New Jersey$58,059$27.91
8Kansas$50,758$24.40
9California$48,910$23.51
10Alaska$51,271$24.65
11Minnesota$50,199$24.13
12Utah$45,312$21.78
13Wisconsin$46,740$22.47
14Iowa$52,009$25.00
15North Dakota$47,509$22.84
16Massachusetts$50,813$24.43
17Vermont$49,277$23.69
18Ohio$43,482$20.90
19Tennessee$38,869$18.69
20Florida$40,206$19.33
21Kentucky$42,072$20.23
22Georgia$39,071$18.78
23Delaware$41,150$19.78
24Oklahoma$38,701$18.61
25Wyoming$43,432$20.88
26West Virginia$43,212$20.77
27Nevada$39,738$19.10
28New York$44,561$21.42
29Rhode Island$43,264$20.80
30Colorado$42,659$20.51
31Nebraska$35,959$17.29
32South Dakota$35,953$17.29
33Louisiana$36,458$17.53
34North Carolina$35,120$16.88
35Missouri$35,938$17.28
36Virginia$37,504$18.03
37District of Columbia$40,045$19.25
38Texas$33,983$16.34
39Oregon$33,410$16.06
40Pennsylvania$35,813$17.22
41New Mexico$33,845$16.27
42Maryland$38,716$18.61
43Alabama$32,330$15.54
44Indiana$35,682$17.15
45Arizona$33,773$16.24
46Hawaii$30,996$14.90
47South Carolina$30,483$14.66
48Mississippi$28,013$13.47
49Montana$30,412$14.62
50Michigan$28,241$13.58
51Arkansas$26,464$12.72

Highest paying cities for highway maintenance workers

The highest-paying cities for highway maintenance workers are Olympia, WA, Worcester, MA, and Saint Cloud, MN.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Olympia, WA$52,249$25.12
2Worcester, MA$50,873$24.46
3Saint Cloud, MN$50,415$24.24
4Appleton, WI$47,251$22.72
5Schenectady, NY$45,048$21.66
6Aurora, CO$42,646$20.50
7Cincinnati, OH$42,535$20.45
8Macon, GA$39,100$18.80
9Elkhart, IN$36,193$17.40
10Omaha, NE$36,102$17.36
11Sioux Falls, SD$36,069$17.34
12Odessa, TX$34,118$16.40
13Charleston, SC$30,546$14.69

Highway maintenance worker salary details

A highway maintenance worker's salary ranges from $30,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $54,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average highway maintenance worker salary graph
Average highway maintenance worker salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a highway maintenance worker's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$54,000$4,500$26
75th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
Average$40,488$3,374$19
25th Percentile$34,000$2,833$16
10th Percentile$30,000$2,500$14

Highest paying highway maintenance worker jobs

The highest paying types of highway maintenance workers are highway maintainer, road repairer, and caltrans equipment operator.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Maintenance Worker$36,132$3,011$17.37115,130

Which companies pay highway maintenance workers the most?

Highway maintenance worker salaries at Washington State University and FJM are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average highway maintenance worker salary at companies like Diamond Surface and Milwaukee County are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Washington State University$50,190$24.13
2FJM$46,147$22.19
3Diamond Surface$44,007$21.16
4Milwaukee County$43,853$21.08
5Colorado State Express$43,566$20.95
6Minnesota Limited$43,462$20.90
7New York State Restaurant Association$43,344$20.84
8WEST TREE SERVICE$43,323$20.83
9Reno, NV$42,845$20.60
10Minnesota State Fair$42,498$20.43
11Brown County$42,166$20.27
12Scott County, Iowa$42,019$20.20
13Culpepper Construction$41,641$20.02
14Double A$40,437$19.44
15Anoka County$40,196$19.32
16State of Nevada Employees' Association Inc$40,078$19.27
17Wright County$39,335$18.91
18Stearns County MN$38,203$18.37
19State Of Illinois - Illinois Student Assistance Commission$37,655$18.10
20Outagamie County$37,589$18.07

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$42,000$41,600$41,200$40,800$40,400$40,000
MaleFemale

Highway Maintenance Worker salary by industry

The average highway maintenance worker salary varies across industries:

  • The average highway maintenance worker salary in the construction industry is $46,511, the highest of any industry.
  • The average highway maintenance worker salary in the finance industry is $43,649.
  • Highway maintenance workers in the insurance industry earn an average salary of $33,691, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for highway maintenance workers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Construction$46,511$22.36
2Agriculture$43,649$20.99
3Professional$37,962$18.25
4Government$36,313$17.46
5Insurance$33,691$16.20

High paying highway maintenance worker jobs

Highway maintenance worker salary trends

The average highway maintenance worker salary has risen by $6,259 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average highway maintenance worker earned $34,229 annually, but today, they earn $40,488 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for highway maintenance workers over the last decade.

Compare highway maintenance worker salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average highway maintenance worker salary over time

Compare highway maintenance worker salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Highway maintenance worker salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$40,500$19.47+2.2%
2025$39,600$19.03+2.6%
2024$38,600$18.54+2.5%
2023$37,600$18.08+1.5%
2022$37,100$17.82+3.1%

Recently added highway maintenance worker salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
City of Keene, NhHighway Maintenance WorkerKeene, NH06/28/2025$33,580
State of WashingtonHighway Maintenance Worker 2 | Pavement MarkingIone, WA06/27/2025$65,839
DasstateohHighway Maintenance Worker 1-Seasonal-Cuyahoga County-Multiple PNSCleveland, OH06/27/2025$43,514
State of IndianaHighway Seasonal Maintenance WorkerAlbany, IN06/26/2025$37,566
State of OhioHighway Maintenance Worker 1 (HMW 1) or Highway Technician 1 (HT 1), Bridge Department, PN 20051609Bowling Green, OH06/26/2025$45,163
State of New YorkHighway Maintenance Worker 2 (Region 5 Chautauqua CO)Sherman, NY06/26/2025$45,081
Milwaukee County (WiHighway Maintenance Worker IIMilwaukee, WI06/26/2025$49,420
State of WisconsinHighway Maintenance Worker-Summer HelpJefferson, WI06/26/2025$31,305
NeheadstartTemporary Highway Maintenance Worker-Omaha and Surrounding AreasOmaha, NE06/24/2025$40,697
Douglas CountyHighway Department-Maintenance Worker/Snowplow DriverDouglas, WI06/21/2025$47,375

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