Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Revenue Benchmarks
The average highway, street, and bridge construction business in the United States generates $10.4M in annual revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB 2021). There are 8,579 highway, street, and bridge construction businesses in the U.S., employing 302,777 workers with an average profit margin of 7.0%. The average employee in this industry earns $88K per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2023).
What Does a Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Business Actually Do?
Public infrastructure contractors building roads and bridges. Almost entirely public-sector work bid on state/federal projects.
Who buys: State DOTs, federal government, municipalities.
Average Revenue
$10.4M
per year
Profit Margin
7.0%
industry average
Revenue / Employee
$293K
per year
Total Businesses
8,579
in the US
Est. Owner Income
$725K
small business avg
Labor Cost
30.0%
of revenue
Avg Employee Wage
$88K
per year (BLS)
Market Saturation
2.6
firms per 100K people
How Much Do Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Charge?
Highway/bridge builders bid on public projects — pricing by unit (per mile of highway, per bridge span).
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
Asphalt overlay (per mile of 2-lane) | $100,000–500,000/mile |
New highway construction | $5–20 million/mile |
Bridge (short span) | $500,000–5,000,000 |
Contractor margin on public work | 5–12% |
Ranges based on industry rate surveys and typical published pricing. Actual quotes vary by city, business size, and job complexity.
Complete highway, street, and bridge construction business plan
A 12-section data-backed business plan for a highway, street, and bridge construction business — executive summary, market analysis, competitive landscape, revenue model, 3-year financial projections, operations, marketing, staffing, funding request. Pre-populated with real Census, IRS, and BLS data on this industry. Free to view.
Cost Structure — Where Every $100 in Revenue Goes
Approximate P&L breakdown for the highway, street, and bridge construction industry. Labor share and net profit are grounded in Census SUSB and IRS SOI data. Other lines are split using sector-typical ratios.
| Category | Per $100 revenue | Per typical business | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
Materials & subcontractors | $38 | $3.9M | Lumber, concrete, fixtures, subcontracted trades — the physical scope of the job. |
Wages & benefits | $30 | $3.1M | Payroll for all employees at the business (owner comp not included for small owner-operators). |
Rent & facilities | $5 | $522K | Rent or mortgage on business location plus utilities tied to the space. |
Marketing & advertising | $3 | $326K | Google/Meta ads, SEO, print, referral fees, event sponsorships. |
Other operating costs | $17 | $1.8M | Equipment rentals, insurance (very high in construction), permits, vehicles, fuel. |
Net profit | $7 | $725K | What remains for the owner or shareholders after all business expenses. |
Directionally accurate for a typical business in the industry. Individual businesses vary widely — a franchise may run a very different cost mix from an independent, and older established businesses often have lower labor share than newer ones.
Average Revenue by Business Size
Industry Dynamics (Census BDS 2023)
New Business Rate
6.37%
openings/year
Closure Rate
6.45%
closings/year
Net Job Growth
+3%
annual
Businesses Closed
428
in 2023
Firm Count Trend
Should You Start a Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Business?
Startup Cost
$25K – $150K
Break-Even
1 months
5-Year Survival Rate
52.0%
Related Industries
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a highway, street, and bridge construction business do?
- Public infrastructure contractors building roads and bridges. Almost entirely public-sector work bid on state/federal projects. State DOTs, federal government, municipalities.
- How much do highway, street, and bridge construction charge?
- Highway/bridge builders bid on public projects — pricing by unit (per mile of highway, per bridge span). See the pricing table above for typical rates by service type.
- How much does the average highway, street, and bridge construction make per year?
- The average highway, street, and bridge construction business generates $10.4M in annual revenue, based on U.S. Census Bureau data (SUSB 2021). After expenses, the estimated owner profit is $725K per year at a 7.0% profit margin.
- How many highway, street, and bridge construction businesses are there in the US?
- There are 8,579 highway, street, and bridge construction businesses operating in the United States, employing a total of 302,777 workers.
- How much does it cost to start a highway, street, and bridge construction business?
- Startup costs for a highway, street, and bridge construction business typically range from $25K to $150K, with a 5-year survival rate of 52.0%.
- What is the average salary in the highway, street, and bridge construction industry?
- The average employee in the highway, street, and bridge construction industry earns $88K per year, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data (QCEW 2023).
Industry Growth & Survival
The highway, street, and bridge construction industry is actively growing — adding jobs at a net rate of 3.0% per year. New establishments are opening faster than existing ones close (6.4% entry vs 6.4% exit), indicating healthy demand.
Approximately 72% of highway, street, and bridge construction businesses survive their first 5 years. This is above the national average (~50%), making it a relatively safe industry to enter. In 2023, 428 firms in this industry closed permanently.
Employment & Wages
The average employee in the highway, street, and bridge construction industry earns $88,070/year. This is significantly above the national average of ~$65K, reflecting the skilled nature of this work. With 12,085 establishments employing 360,223 people, the typical business has about 30 employees.
Industry Trend (2000–2023)
The highway, street, and bridge construction industry has declined 28% since 2000 (from 10,497 to 7,566 firms).
See full historical statistics →Compare Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction revenue with other industries: