Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 47-4051

Highway Maintenance Workers

Median pay sits 31% below the mid peer in Construction and Extraction Occupations (neighbors include Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers, Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Highway Maintenance Workers: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($110K) , Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters ($64K) , First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers ($80K) , Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators ($70K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Highway Maintenance Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-4051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic
  2. 2. Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead
  3. 3. Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment
  4. 4. Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites
  5. 5. Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and…
  6. 6. Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures
  7. 7. Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and…
  8. 8. Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders
  9. 9. Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures
  10. 10. Remove litter and debris from roadways, including debris from rock and mud slides
  11. 11. Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement
  12. 12. Apply poisons along roadsides and in animal burrows to eliminate unwanted roadside vegetation and rodents

Highway Maintenance Workers: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-4051 - lead skill Operation and Control at 3.6 ; lead knowledge Public Safety and Security. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 3.6
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 3.5
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.1
  4. 4. Coordination 3.1
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.0
  6. 6. Speaking 3.0
  7. 7. Complex Problem Solving 3.0
  8. 8. Critical Thinking 2.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Public Safety and Security 4.2
  2. 2. English Language 3.5
  3. 3. Transportation 3.3
  4. 4. Building and Construction 3.2
  5. 5. Education and Training 3.0
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.0
Pay vs Construction and Extraction Occupations peers
-31%
vs mid peer median $73,300
This role $50,260/yr
$50K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
12,300
Annual openings
154,960
Estimated US jobs
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Highest-pay peer · $110K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Highway Maintenance Workers

1. Montana $60,960
2. Connecticut $64,870
3. Oregon $65,330
4. Massachusetts $61,500
5. Illinois $61,700
6. Minnesota $63,150
7. California $59,580
8. Iowa $58,490
9. North Dakota $60,630
10. Washington $65,300

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $79,920
  2. 2. Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters $63,800
  3. 3. Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $109,910
  4. 4. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators $70,070
  5. 5. Terrazzo Workers and Finishers $76,170
  6. 6. Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other $70,130

Among Construction and Extraction Occupations peers on this card, Highway Maintenance Workers sits 31% below the mid peer median ($73,300). Its own median is $50,260.

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 12,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Montana at $60,960. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers at $109,910. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Highway Maintenance Workers pay-rank #42 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

On the Construction and Extraction Occupations median table (60 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Highway Maintenance Workers lands at #42, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 47-4051 · national median $50,260 · lower third of Construction and Extraction Occupations (#42/60). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Highway Maintenance Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-4051

Montana · top state for Highway Maintenance Workers

$61K published median

Connecticut · #2 state pay

$65K · behind Montana

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers

Highest-pay peer vs Highway Maintenance Workers · $110K

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Lower-pay peer beside Highway Maintenance Workers · $64K

Compare Highway Maintenance Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Highway Maintenance Workers with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Highway Maintenance Workers

Against another occupation

Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Highway Maintenance Workers land on the Construction and Extraction Occupations median table? ▼
Highway Maintenance Workers is pay-rank #42 of 60 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Carpet Installers ($50K), Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers ($50K), Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners ($50K), Hazardous Materials Removal Workers ($49K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do highway maintenance workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Highway Maintenance Workers. Leading ones include: Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic; Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead; Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment; Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for highway maintenance workers? ▼
For SOC 47-4051, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (3.6), Operations Monitoring (3.5), Monitoring (3.1), Coordination (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Public Safety and Security, English Language, Transportation. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Highway Maintenance Workers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $50,260 as the national median for Highway Maintenance Workers. The published 10th-90th range is $36,230 to $71,970. Beside Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers ($109,910), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Highway Maintenance Workers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Highway Maintenance Workers is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 12,300. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Highway Maintenance Workers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Highway Maintenance Workers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Highway Maintenance Workers? ▼
Montana ($60,960), Connecticut ($64,870), Oregon ($65,330) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Highway Maintenance Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-4051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Highway Maintenance Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics