Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction — Average Employee Salary
The average employee in the highway, street, and bridge construction industry earns $88,070 per year ($42.34/hour), according to Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW data.
What Do Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction Workers Earn?
At $88,070/year (equivalent to $42.34/hour for a full-time worker), highway, street, and bridge construction wages are significantly above the national average of ~$65,000.
Higher wages in this industry typically reflect specialized skills, professional certifications, or technical expertise required for the work. Employers competing for talent in this space face elevated labor costs.
The typical highway, street, and bridge construction business employs 30 people. These are larger operations where staffing represents a major cost center and management complexity.
Wages as a Percentage of Revenue
For the average highway, street, and bridge construction business generating $10.4M/year with 30 employees at $88,070 each, total payroll represents roughly 25.5% of revenue. Labor costs are relatively low compared to revenue — other costs (materials, equipment, overhead) dominate.
What This Means for Business Owners
If you're starting or running a highway, street, and bridge constructionbusiness, here's what the wage data means for your bottom line:
- Per-employee cost: Budget approximately $114,491/year per employee (salary + ~30% for benefits, taxes, and insurance).
- Typical team size: 30 employees = ~$2,642,100/year in base payroll.
- Hourly equivalent: $42.34/hour base — factor this into pricing and project estimates.
- Revenue needed: With average revenue of $10.4M/business, you need strong utilization rates to maintain healthy margins after payroll.
See how these wages compare to total revenue and profit margins.
View full Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction revenue benchmarks →Frequently Asked Questions
- How much do highway, street, and bridge construction employees make?
- The average highway, street, and bridge construction employee earns $88,070 per year, which is equivalent to $42.34/hour for a full-time worker (2,080 hours/year). This is above the national average of approximately $65,000.
- How many people work in the highway, street, and bridge construction industry?
- The highway, street, and bridge construction industry employs 360,223 workers across 12,085 establishments in the United States. The average business in this industry has approximately 30 employees.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW 2023).