The 15 Best-Paying Big Cities for Construction Workers in America

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.

The U.S. construction industry is navigating a period of heightened uncertainty in 2025, marked by shifting trade policies, restrictive immigration enforcement, and persistently high interest rates.

New tariffs on imported steel and aluminum have driven up the cost of materials, delaying projects and prompting redesigns, while a tight labor market and evolving immigration rules have strained the industry’s ability to find skilled workers.

At the same time, high borrowing costs continue to limit new development, especially in residential construction. For many construction workers, these economic headwinds are compounded by chronic inflationary pressures that continue to erode the purchasing power of their wages.

Against this backdrop, analysts at Construction Coverage analyzed wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and cost of living data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to determine where in the country construction workers earn the most once local price differences are taken into account.

Following are the cities where workers in the building trades can stretch their earnings furthest and live most comfortably in the current economic climate.

15. Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $65,375
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $61,830
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $48,210
• Number of construction workers: 46,750
• Cost of living (compared to average): -5.4%

14. Kansas City, MO-KS

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $65,962
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $61,520
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $49,480
• Number of construction workers: 42,890
• Cost of living (compared to average): -6.7%

13. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $66,261
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $72,150
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $58,880
• Number of construction workers: 55,040
• Cost of living (compared to average): +8.9%

12. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $66,780
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $75,110
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $60,460
• Number of construction workers: 289,680
• Cost of living (compared to average): +12.5%

11. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $66,822
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $79,000
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $73,960
• Number of construction workers: 88,370
• Cost of living (compared to average): +18.2%

10. Columbus, OH

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $67,026
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $63,350
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $49,510
• Number of construction workers: 35,830
• Cost of living (compared to average): -5.5%

9. Cleveland, OH

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $67,193
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $62,520
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $49,000
• Number of construction workers: 32,340
• Cost of living (compared to average): -7.0%

8. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $68,527
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $73,060
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $59,040
• Number of construction workers: 59,630
• Cost of living (compared to average): +6.6%

7. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $68,644
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $65,580
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $49,720
• Number of construction workers: 28,610
• Cost of living (compared to average): -4.5%

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6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $68,917
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $77,870
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $67,510
• Number of construction workers: 91,300
• Cost of living (compared to average): +13.0%

5. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $69,299
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $77,320
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $64,620
• Number of construction workers: 94,880
• Cost of living (compared to average): +11.6%

4. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $70,127
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $79,150
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $82,470
• Number of construction workers: 37,830
• Cost of living (compared to average): +12.9%

3. St. Louis, MO-IL

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $71,092
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $68,470
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $48,290
• Number of construction workers: 57,710
• Cost of living (compared to average): -3.7%

2. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $73,582
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $76,900
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $57,640
• Number of construction workers: 69,120
• Cost of living (compared to average): +4.5%

1. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

• Median wage for construction workers (adjusted): $80,248
• Median wage for construction workers (unadjusted): $82,300
• Median wage for all workers (unadjusted): $51,510
• Number of construction workers: 138,640
• Cost of living (compared to average): +2.6%

Methodology

To determine the top-paying locations for construction workers, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ Regional Price Parities, and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

The researchers ranked locations according to the cost-of-living-adjusted median annual wage for construction workers.

For the purposes of this analysis, construction workers were considered to be all wage and salary workers on nonfarm establishments with occupations classified under the Construction and Extraction Occupations major occupation group. In the event of a tie, the location with the larger unadjusted median annual wage for construction workers was ranked higher.

Only metropolitan areas with available data were included in the analysis. Additionally, large metro areas are defined as having a population size of 1 million or more.