Construction labor cost by state
Construction workers in the U.S. earn $65,360 a year on average (2025). Pay is highest in Hawaii ($84,200) and lowest in Arkansas ($48,650). Labor is a big part of most quotes, so that gap changes what the same project costs. Click or tap a column heading to sort.
| Alabama | $51,630 | −13% |
| Alaska | $81,250 | +15% |
| Arizona | $60,040 | −5% |
| Arkansas | $48,650 | −15% |
| California | $78,280 | +12% |
| Colorado | $65,880 | About the same |
| Connecticut | $73,050 | +7% |
| Delaware | $62,660 | −2% |
| District of Columbia | $74,160 | +8% |
| Florida | $55,570 | −9% |
| Georgia | $56,400 | −8% |
| Hawaii | $84,200 | +17% |
| Idaho | $58,890 | −6% |
| Illinois | $81,670 | +15% |
| Indiana | $66,150 | +1% |
| Iowa | $62,070 | −3% |
| Kansas | $60,090 | −5% |
| Kentucky | $57,840 | −7% |
| Louisiana | $54,940 | −10% |
| Maine | $62,660 | −2% |
| Maryland | $65,180 | About the same |
| Massachusetts | $81,330 | +15% |
| Michigan | $65,130 | About the same |
| Minnesota | $75,150 | +9% |
| Mississippi | $51,200 | −13% |
| Missouri | $67,580 | +2% |
| Montana | $63,680 | −2% |
| Nebraska | $58,440 | −6% |
| Nevada | $68,570 | +3% |
| New Hampshire | $64,230 | −1% |
| New Jersey | $80,460 | +14% |
| New Mexico | $56,240 | −8% |
| New York | $76,640 | +10% |
| North Carolina | $54,940 | −10% |
| North Dakota | $66,820 | +1% |
| Ohio | $65,900 | About the same |
| Oklahoma | $55,120 | −9% |
| Oregon | $75,990 | +10% |
| Pennsylvania | $66,410 | +1% |
| Rhode Island | $70,030 | +4% |
| South Carolina | $55,410 | −9% |
| South Dakota | $54,930 | −10% |
| Tennessee | $56,510 | −8% |
| Texas | $55,200 | −9% |
| Utah | $59,210 | −6% |
| Vermont | $62,030 | −3% |
| Virginia | $59,630 | −5% |
| Washington | $82,360 | +16% |
| West Virginia | $59,660 | −5% |
| Wisconsin | $69,810 | +4% |
| Wyoming | $64,200 | −1% |
How pay changes what a project costs
Prices change from state to state mostly because of pay. Materials cost about the same everywhere, so where workers earn more, the whole project costs more. The last column shows that change. Every guide’s cost calculator uses it when you pick your state, and so do our state cost guides. See how we work out each state's number.
So if workers in a state earn 20% more than the U.S. average, your whole project does not cost 20% more. Only the labor part of the price changes.
Source
The pay figures are the average yearly wage for one group of jobs: Construction and extraction occupations (government job code 47-0000). The government puts building trades in the same group as mining and drilling jobs. The figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, 2025 release. See how we get our numbers. We pulled the data on October 1, 2026. For material prices, see our building material price tracker.
Free to use: Download the data as a spreadsheet (CSV file) or read the full 2026 Construction Cost Report. You can republish or chart it. Please link back to this page.