SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway. Excludes “Tree Trimmers and Pruners” (37-3013).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 47-4051.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $36,230 | $3,019 | $697 | $17.42 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $43,500 | $3,625 | $837 | $20.91 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $50,260 | $4,188 | $967 | $24.16 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $61,040 | $5,087 | $1,174 | $29.35 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $71,970 | $5,998 | $1,384 | $34.60 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Highway Maintenance Workers is $50,260, which is about the same. Among the 60 occupations of the field Construction and Extraction, it ranks number 42 by median pay. With 154,960 jobs, it makes up about 10.0 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Highway Maintenance Workers pay by state
The highest median pay was in Oregon ($65,330), Washington ($65,300) and Connecticut ($64,870). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($21,840), Mississippi ($35,120) and Arkansas ($35,740). The most jobs were in New York (13,820), Pennsylvania (11,140) and Illinois (10,790). The occupation is most concentrated in South Dakota, where its share of all jobs is 4.0 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 1,650 | $65,330 | $63,650 | $31.41 |
| Washington | 2,590 | $65,300 | $67,870 | $31.39 |
| Connecticut | 2,130 | $64,870 | $66,700 | $31.19 |
| Minnesota | 4,610 | $63,150 | $60,280 | $30.36 |
| Illinois | 10,790 | $61,700 | $66,410 | $29.66 |
| Massachusetts | 2,000 | $61,500 | $61,800 | $29.57 |
| Montana | 1,140 | $60,960 | $60,320 | $29.31 |
| North Dakota | 1,240 | $60,630 | $62,150 | $29.15 |
| California | 8,150 | $59,580 | $63,070 | $28.64 |
| Iowa | 4,000 | $58,490 | $57,670 | $28.12 |
| Vermont | 1,170 | $58,460 | $56,930 | $28.11 |
| Wisconsin | 6,000 | $58,000 | $56,080 | $27.88 |
| Rhode Island | 620 | $57,950 | $56,390 | $27.86 |
| Utah | 1,240 | $55,970 | $56,390 | $26.91 |
| New York | 13,820 | $55,210 | $57,190 | $26.54 |
| Alaska | 50 | $54,090 | $59,650 | $26.01 |
| Michigan | 5,230 | $53,750 | $51,910 | $25.84 |
| Colorado | 1,990 | $52,350 | $55,710 | $25.17 |
| Idaho | 1,340 | $52,050 | $55,280 | $25.02 |
| New Jersey | 4,850 | $51,720 | $56,570 | $24.87 |
| New Hampshire | 1,230 | $51,050 | $52,940 | $24.54 |
| Arizona | 1,410 | $50,850 | $50,260 | $24.45 |
| Virginia | 3,400 | $50,800 | $51,790 | $24.42 |
| Nevada | 990 | $49,320 | $52,510 | $23.71 |
| Maine | 1,620 | $49,030 | $49,300 | $23.57 |
| Maryland | 620 | $49,030 | $55,040 | $23.57 |
| Ohio | 6,070 | $48,880 | $51,170 | $23.50 |
| Nebraska | 2,580 | $48,650 | $50,920 | $23.39 |
| South Dakota | 1,800 | $48,610 | $50,470 | $23.37 |
| Indiana | 4,380 | $48,480 | $49,430 | $23.31 |
| Wyoming | 820 | $48,190 | $51,900 | $23.17 |
| South Carolina | 2,290 | $48,130 | $48,900 | $23.14 |
| North Carolina | 3,750 | $47,880 | $47,300 | $23.02 |
| New Mexico | 1,470 | $47,740 | $47,340 | $22.95 |
| Pennsylvania | 11,140 | $47,690 | $50,060 | $22.93 |
| Missouri | 5,470 | $47,470 | $48,470 | $22.82 |
| Tennessee | 2,280 | $46,070 | $46,070 | $22.15 |
| Kansas | 1,960 | $46,050 | $45,970 | $22.14 |
| Texas | 6,630 | $45,540 | $44,770 | $21.90 |
| Delaware | 90 | $45,450 | $47,160 | $21.85 |
| West Virginia | 730 | $45,260 | $45,290 | $21.76 |
| Louisiana | 1,050 | $44,790 | $44,970 | $21.53 |
| Florida | 2,530 | $42,210 | $43,130 | $20.29 |
| Kentucky | 3,030 | $40,400 | $41,960 | $19.42 |
| Oklahoma | 3,180 | $38,840 | $40,570 | $18.67 |
| Georgia | 1,980 | $37,560 | $39,710 | $18.06 |
| Alabama | 2,730 | $37,430 | $38,990 | $18.00 |
| Arkansas | 860 | $35,740 | $36,310 | $17.19 |
| Mississippi | 4,160 | $35,120 | $35,140 | $16.89 |
| Puerto Rico | 2,730 | $21,840 | $27,800 | $10.50 |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Paperhangers$52,140 a year
- Floor Sanders and Finishers$50,440 a year
- Carpet Installers$50,340 a year
- Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers$49,910 a year
- Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners$49,880 a year
- Hazardous Materials Removal Workers$49,450 a year
Common questions
How much do Highway Maintenance Workers earn in the United States?
The median pay was $50,260 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,230 and the highest-paid 10% more than $71,970.
How many people work as Highway Maintenance Workers?
About 154,960 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.