Construction is a great career choice for hard-working individuals, and an analysis by the National Association of Home Builders shows which trades have the highest earning potential for workers.
Median wages in construction jobs have grown 3.7% year over year, NAHB found, compared to 3% for the national median wages. Employment opportunities are projected to grow 5% over the next 10 years, according to BLS, faster than the national average.
BLS found that in 2019, 11.3 million people were working in construction, 10.3% of whom were women, up from 9.9% in 2018 and 8.9% 10 years ago.
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NAHB analyzed data from the 2019 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) Survey to find the highest-paid construction jobs. Click through the following slides to see the top-earning jobs by median wages, and the minimum annual earnings for the top 25%.
10. Brickmasons • Median: $53,170 • Top 25%: $66,410 (Photo: Bogden Hoda, Dreamstime)
“Historically, subcontractor bids increase faster than construction wages, adding more inflationary fuel to housing prices,” Natalia Siniavskaia, assistant vice president of Housing Policy Research for NAHB, wrote in the analysis. “These findings are consistent with high labor shortages reported by NAHB causing builders to pay higher wages and subcontractor bids and forcing them to increase home prices.”
Danielle Andrus was previously the managing editor for Colorado Builder, and is currently Editor for the Journal of Financial Planning.