Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 23

Visual Essay: Construction Employment 

Construction employment: a visual essay

Benjamin Cover

Construction occupations accounted for 4.9 

million jobs in May 2010, down from 6.5 

million in May 2006 when employment in 

construction-related occupations reached a peak. 

Since then, employment has declined among establishments whose primary output was construction 

or construction trade services and among workers 

performing construction-related activities in any industry. Employment in 40 of the 46 construction occupations decreased over this time, with some occupations declining by half. The employment declines 

were more extreme in some industries than others. 

Employment declines were often steeper among the 

lower-paid construction helper occupations.

U.S. average wages for construction occupations 

in May 2010 were $21.12 per hour, about the same 

as the all-occupations average of $21.35. Between 

May 2006 and May 2010, average hourly wages 

grew 2.7 percent per year for construction occupations, less than the 3.2-percent growth in hourly 

wages for all occupations.

This visual essay examines employment and wages 

of workers in construction occupations in May 2010, 

when construction employment was at its lowest 

point in over a decade. Some comparisons are made 

with employment and earnings in May 2006.

 The Occupational Employment Statistics survey 

is a survey of 1.2 million business establishments 

conducted in six semiannual panels over a 3-year 

period. Respondents are asked to list the occupation 

and wage range for each of their employees. Data 

from the six most recent panels are used each year to 

provide wage and employment estimates for about 

800 occupations by area and industry. 

This essay was prepared by Benjamin Cover, an 

economist in the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Phone: 

(202) 691-6505. Email: cover.benjamin@bls.gov.
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

24 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

1. Employment and mean hourly wages for workers in the 10 largest construction occupations, May 2010

900,000

800,000

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

Employment Employment

900,000

800,000

700,000

600,000

500,000

400,000

300,000

200,000

100,000

0

Carpenters

($21.10)

Construction

laborers

($16.15)

Highway

maintenance

workers

($17.23)

Painters,

construction

and

maintenance

($18.08)

Operating

engineers

and

other

construction

equipment

operators

($21.55)

Plumbers,

pipefitters,

and

steamfitters

($24.21)

First-line

supervisors 

of

construction

trades and

extraction

workers

($29.93)

Electricians

($24.91)

Sheet

metal

workers

($21.98)

Cement

masons

and

concrete

finishers

($18.89)

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Most of the largest construction occupations were the construction trades workers.

• The 10 occupations shown accounted for more than 76 percent of employment in construction occupations in May 2010.

• Construction laborers had the lowest wage among the 10 largest construction occupations.

• First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers had the highest wage among the 10 

largest construction occupations.
Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 25

 2. Construction occupations with the highest mean hourly wages, May 2010

Elevator installers and repairers

First-line supervisors of construction 

trades and extraction workers

Boilermakers

Construction and

building inspectors

Pile-driver operators

Electricians

Plumbers, pipefitters, 

and steamfitters

Brickmasons and blockmasons

Hourly wage

(in dollars)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Construction workers earned an average of $21.12 per hour in May 2010, about the same as the overall 

mean for all occupations.

• The eight highest paid construction occupations were specialized construction trade workers or their 

supervisors.

• Earning an average hourly wage of $33.66, elevator installers and repairers had the highest wage among 

construction workers in May 2010.

• Three of the construction occupations with the highest wages were also among the 10 largest construction 

occupations—first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers, electricians, and plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters.

• With 4,230 workers in May 2010, pile-driver operators was the smallest of the high-paying construction 

occupations.
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

26 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

 3. Change in mean hourly wages in construction occupations with the largest percent decrease in employment, 

 May 2006–May 2010

Percent

change

Percent

change

30

20

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

30

20

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

Percent change in employment

Percent change in mean hourly wage

Tapers Terrazzo 

workers and 

finishers

Helpers—

carpenters

Helpers—

brickmasons,

blockmasons,

stonemasons, 

and tile and

marble setters

Plasterers 

and

stucco 

masons

Helpers,

construction 

trades, all 

other

Helpers—

painters, 

paperhangers, 

plasterers, and

stucco masons

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Employment decreased in 40 of the 46 construction occupations between May 2006 and May 2010.

• Overall, employment in construction occupations decreased 25 percent between May 2006 and May 2010.

• Four of the construction occupations with the largest percent decrease in employment between May 2006 

and May 2010 were various helpers of construction trade workers.

• Employment for tapers and carpenter helpers fell by more than 50 percent. The employment decline was 

22,400 for tapers and 57,290 for carpenter helpers.

• The average hourly wage in construction occupations grew 11 percent between May 2006 and May 2010, 

an average annual increase of 2.7 percent, slightly lower than the increase of 13 percent, or 3.2 percent per 

year, for all occupations.

• Hourly wage changes for the construction occupations with the largest percent decline in employment 

were similar to the average for total construction occupations.

• With a 37-percent decrease in employment over the 4-year period, carpenters experienced a smaller percent decrease than the occupations shown but had the largest overall decline in jobs, which fell by 365,580.
Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 27

4. Construction occupations with the largest increase in employment, May 2006–May 2010

Employment

Highway maintenance workers

Insulation workers, mechanical

Segmental pavers

Boilermakers

Rail-track laying and maintenance 

equipment operators

Septic tank servicers and sewer 

pipe cleaners

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Construction occupations that grew tended to be smaller occupations and were not related to new building 

construction.

• Employment for highway maintenance workers increased from 138,670 in May 2006 to 142,530 in May 

2010.

• The increase in average hourly wages over the 4-year period for the occupations shown ranged from 2.1 

percent for mechanical insulation workers to 16.6 percent for rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators.
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

28 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

55. Change in employment and wages in States with the largest percent employment decrease in construction 

 occupations, May 2006–May 2010

40

30

20

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

Percent

change

Percent

change

Nevada Arizona Florida California Delaware Rhode Michigan South Minnesota Idaho

 Island Carolina 

Percent change in employment

Percent change in mean hourly wage

40

30

20

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Nevada had the largest percent decrease in construction occupations employment and the largest increase 

in mean wages for construction occupations from May 2006 to May 2010.

• Average hourly wages for detailed occupations may increase because of wage increases for individual workers or because lower paid workers are let go, while higher wage workers are retained.

• In Nevada, mean hourly wages for construction occupations had an annual average increase of 6.3 percent 

from May 2006 to May 2010.

• Part of the wage increase in Nevada was due to employment declining in helper occupations and rising in 

higher paying occupations, such as elevator installers and repairers.

• With a decline of 41 percent, California had the largest absolute decrease of employment in construction 

occupations from 815,510 in May 2006 to 485,120 in May 2010.

• Carpenter helpers had one of the largest declines in employment in all the States shown.
Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 29

.6. Change in employment and wages in the States with an increase in construction occupations employment, 

 May 2006–May 2010

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

Percent

change

Percent

change

Wyoming

Percent change in employment

Percent change in mean hourly wage

North Dakota

20

18

16

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

0

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Employment in construction occupations grew in only two States from May 2006 to May 2010.

• The increase of employment in construction occupations came from increases in different occupations in 

each of the two states.

• In North Dakota, employment for highway maintenance workers increased more than 65 percent. The 

occupation with the largest absolute increase in employment in North Dakota was first-line supervisors of 

construction trades and extraction workers.

• Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators and electricians contributed to the increase in employment for Wyoming.

• The growth in hourly wages for construction occupations in Wyoming and North Dakota was above the 

nationwide average.
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

30 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

 7. Change in employment and wages in metropolitan areas with the largest percent employment decrease in 

 construction occupations, May 2006–May 2010

Percent

change

Percent

change

30

20

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

–70

Percent change in employment

Percent change in mean hourly wage

30

20

10

0

–10

–20

–30

–40

–50

–60

–70

Reno-Sparks, 

NV

Carson City, 

NV

Prescott, 

AZ

Naples-Marco

Island, FL

Punta Gorda, 

FL

Merced, 

CA

Vallejo-Fairfield, 

CA

St. George, 

UT

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Nine metropolitan areas in California, six metropolitan areas in Florida, and three metropolitan areas in 

Nevada showed at least a 50-percent decrease in employment in construction occupations from May 2006 

to May 2010; the areas with the steepest employment declines in those States were Merced and VallejoFairfield in California and Naples-Marco Island and Punta Gorda in Florida.

• Employment in construction occupations fell more than 60 percent from May 2006 to May 2010 in RenoSparks, NV, and Carson City, NV.

• Employment in construction occupations decreased more than 50 percent in Las Vegas, NV. Wages for 

construction occupations in Las Vegas, however, increased more than 30 percent.

• Construction hourly wages increased in each of the areas shown during the May 2006–May 2010 period, 

ranging from 3.4 percent in Naples-Marco Island, FL, to 22.1 percent in Merced, CA.
Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 31

8. Change in employment and wages in the metropolitan areas with at least a 15–percent employment increase

 in construction occupations, May 2006–May 2010

Percent

change

Percent

change

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

Pascagoula, 

MS

Longview, 

TX

OshkoshNeenah, WI

 BeaumontPort Arthur, TX

Percent change in employment

Percent change in mean hourly wage

Midland, 

TX

Waco, 

TX

El Paso, 

TX

Odessa, 

TX

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Employment in construction occupations more than doubled in Pascagoula, MS, and increased by more 

than 80 percent in Oshkosh-Neenah, WI, from May 2006 to May 2010.

• Employment increased in 20 out of 25 construction occupations in Pascagoula, MS.

• Although the overall employment in construction occupations decreased by 1 percent in Texas from May 

2006 to May 2010, employment increased in 13 of the State’s 26 metropolitan areas.

• Nearly all the areas with substantial employment growth in construction occupations also had above the 

U.S. average wage growth from May 2006 to May 2010. The sole exception was Oshkosh-Neenah, WI, 

where wages grew by only 5 percent.
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

32 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

9. Construction occupations in the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA, metropolitan division with mean 

wages at least 55 percent higher than the national average for that occupation, May 2010

Percent higher than 

national average

Floor sanders and finishers

Helpers—carpenters

Sheet metal workers

Highway maintenance workers

Pipelayers

Paperhangers

Operating engineers and other 

construction equipment operators

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• The San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA, metropolitan division had the highest mean wage in 

May 2010 for construction workers at $30.14.

• The San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA, metropolitan division had above average hourly wages 

for all occupation groups, but construction occupations had the highest wage premium of all the major 

occupational groups.

• Floor sanders and finishers and carpenter helpers in San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City earned 

almost twice the national average hourly wage for their occupation.

• Most occupations in this metropolitan division with the highest wage premiums were construction trade 

occupations. With the exception of carpenter helpers, most helper occupations had a below average 

premium.

• Although the wages for construction occupations were higher, on average, in the San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA, metropolitan division, employment in construction occupations accounted for a 

relatively small share of the area’s overall employment. Construction occupations accounted for 4 percent 

of employment nationwide and 3 percent in San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City.
Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 33

10. Location quotients for construction occupations in Pascagoula, MS, May 2010

Location quotient

Insulation workers, floor, 

ceiling, and wall

Insulation workers, mechanical

Structural iron and steel

workers

Pipelayers

First-line supervisors of construction 

trades and extraction workers

Hazardous materials removal 

workers

Helpers—pipelayers, plumbers, 

pipefitters, and steamfitters

0 5 10 15 20 25

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Pascagoula, MS, had a larger share of its employment in construction occupations than did any other metropolitan area in the United States, with over three times the national average.

• The concentration of employment in every construction occupation in Pascagoula, MS, was higher than 

the national average, with the exception of highway maintenance workers.

• At $19.07, the mean wage for construction occupations in Pascagoula, MS, was below the U.S. average for 

construction occupations at $21.12.

• Of the occupations shown, only helpers—pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters had a mean 

hourly wage higher than the U.S. average for that occupation.
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

34 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

11. Change in employment and mean hourly wages for construction occupations in the residential and 

 nonresidential building construction industries, May 2006–May 2010

Employment Wages

Percent 

change

Percent 

change

Residential building construction

Nonresidential building construction

5

0

–5

–10

–15

–20

–25

–30

–35

–40

–45

5

0

–5

–10

–15

–20

–25

–30

–35

–40

–45

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Residential construction occupations had a larger employment decline and lower hourly wage growth than 

did nonresidential construction occupations.

• From May 2006 to May 2010, employment declined 42 percent in residential construction, compared with 

16 percent in nonresidential construction.

• Employment in the largest construction occupation, carpenters, decreased 45 percent in residential construction compared with 23 percent in nonresidential construction.

• The average annual hourly wage growth from May 2006 to May 2010 was 1.8 percent in residential 

construction and 2.7 percent in nonresidential construction compared with 3.2 percent for all industries 

combined.
Monthly Labor Review • November 2011 35

12. Employment in the largest occupations in the building construction subsector, by residential and 

 nonresidential industry group, May 2010

Carpenters

Construction laborers

First-line supervisors of construction 

trades and extraction workers

Construction managers

Office clerks, general

Bookkeeping, accounting,

and auditing clerks

Secretaries and administrative 

assistants, except legal, medical, 

and executive

Cost estimators

Nonresidential building construction

Residential building construction

Employment

0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000 300,000 350,000

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Construction occupations accounted for 64 percent of employment in residential building construction 

and 62 percent of employment in nonresidential building construction.

• Carpenters made up almost half of the construction occupation employment in residential building construction but accounted for less than a third of the nonresidential building construction employment.

• First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers and construction managers were more 

prevalent in nonresidential building construction than in residential building construction, accounting for 

about 4 percentage points more of the overall construction occupations employment.

Nonresidential building construction

Residential building construction
Visual Essay: Construction Employment

36 Monthly Labor Review • November 2011

13. Mean hourly wages for the largest occupations in the building construction subsector, by residential and 

 nonresidential industry group, May 2010

Carpenters

Construction laborers

First-line supervisors of construction 

trades and extraction workers

Construction managers

Office clerks, general

Bookkeeping, accounting, and 

auditing clerks

Secretaries and administrative 

assistants, except legal, medical, 

and executive

Cost estimators

Nonresidential building construction

Residential building construction

Hourly wage

(in dollars)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Wages were consistently higher among workers in nonresidential building construction than those in 

residential building construction.

• The mean hourly wage for construction occupations was $19.55 in residential building construction, compared with $22.64 in nonresidential building construction.

• Cost estimators had the largest nominal difference in mean hourly wages with a $4.74 spread between 

nonresidential and residential building construction.

• Carpenters had the largest percent difference in mean hourly wages—17.6 percent—between nonresidential and residential building construction.