Knoxville, TN · SOC 47-2061
Construction Laborers in Knoxville
Metro area salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025)
Median Salary
$46,130
per year in Knoxville
2% below
National Median
$47,120
per year nationally
Hourly Rate
$22.18/hr
median hourly
Employment
3,640
jobs in Knoxville
BLS metro-level wage data places Construction Laborers pay in Knoxville, TN at a median of $46,130 per year ($22.18/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $47,120, Knoxville pays 2% below, which typically tracks with a lower local cost of living or smaller specialized-employer cluster. Approximately 3,640 construction laborerss are employed across the Knoxville MSA in SOC 47-2061.
The Knoxville pay distribution spans from $35,640 at the 10th percentile to $66,630 at the 90th — a 1.9× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $37,780 and the 75th at $53,810, so half of Knoxville-based construction laborerss earn within that middle band.
Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Knoxville, TN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide TN data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.
Salary Range in Knoxville
Annual Salary Distribution
10th Percentile
$35,640
25th Percentile
$37,780
Median
$46,130
75th Percentile
$53,810
90th Percentile
$66,630
Top Paying Jobs in Knoxville
Similar Occupations in Knoxville
Other roles inside the Knoxville, TN MSA from the same SOC major group.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.