The 25 best-paying cities for construction workers

Where construction workers make the most

As of March 2017, there were close to 7 million people employed in the U.S. construction industry, up from 5.5 million in 2010. During that same time, public and private construction spending has rebounded by nearly half a trillion dollars after the impact of the Great Recession.

Using 2016 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following is a look at the U.S. metros that pay construction laborers the most money. Only places that pay their construction laborers an average of $37,890 a year or more — the average salary for this position across the nation — were included in the ranking. When ties occur, metros are ranked by the total number of construction laborers.

While some locales' average salaries are less than 15 percent above the national average, construction laborers in the No. 1 metro make almost 45 percent more.

Note: The salaries are not adjusted for the cost of living in each metro. The list does not include all occupations within the construction industry, only workers classified as "construction laborers" by the BLS.

25. Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California

Average salary of construction laborers: $47,540

Percent above national average: 22.59%

Number of construction laborers: 570

24. Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wisconsin

Average salary of construction laborers: $48,250

Percent above national average: 24.05%

Number of construction laborers: 2,920

23. Bellingham, Washington

Average salary of construction laborers: $48,290

Percent above national average: 24.14%

Number of construction laborers: 710

22. St. Louis, Missouri

Average salary of construction laborers: $49,240

Percent above national average: 26.05%

Number of construction laborers: 9,650

21. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington

Average salary of construction laborers: $49,560

Percent above national average: 26.69%

Number of construction laborers: 12,130

20. Anchorage, Alaska

Average salary of construction laborers: $49,820

Percent above national average: 27.20%

Number of construction laborers: 1,160

19. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, California

Average salary of construction laborers: $50,200

Percent above national average: 27.95%

Number of construction laborers: 4,550

18. Springfield, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $50,780

Percent above national average: 29.07%

Number of construction laborers: 1,230

17. New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York

Average salary of construction laborers: $51,430

Percent above national average: 30.32%

Number of construction laborers: 60,790

16. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota

Average salary of construction laborers: $51,510

Percent above national average: 30.47%

Number of construction laborers: 6,880

15. Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $51,670

Percent above national average: 30.77%

Number of construction laborers: 1,190

14. Decatur, Illinois

Average salary of construction laborers: $51,830

Percent above national average: 31.07%

Number of construction laborers: 300

13. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California

Average salary of construction laborers: $51,900

Percent above national average: 31.21%

Number of construction laborers: 14,620

12. Atlantic City-Hammonton, New Jersey

Average salary of construction laborers: $52,970

Percent above national average: 33.19%

Number of construction laborers: 860

11. Napa, California

Average salary of construction laborers: $53,040

Percent above national average: 33.32%

Number of construction laborers: 570

10. Framingham, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $53,110

Percent above national average: 33.45%

Number of construction laborers: 1,110

9. Leominster-Gardner, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $53,480

Percent above national average: 34.12%

Number of construction laborers: 290

8. Peabody-Salem-Beverly, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $53,680

Percent above national average: 34.49%

Number of construction laborers: 280

7. Bloomington, Illinois

Average salary of construction laborers: $54,600

Percent above national average: 36.13%

Number of construction laborers: 480

6. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, Hawaii

Average salary of construction laborers: $56,370

Percent above national average: 39.21%

Number of construction laborers: 360

5. Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $56,480

Percent above national average: 39.40%

Number of construction laborers: 330

4. Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $56,750

Percent above national average: 39.86%

Number of construction laborers: 850

3. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts

Average salary of construction laborers: $57,770

Percent above national average: 41.56%

Number of construction laborers: 8,890

2. Urban Honolulu, Hawaii

Average salary of construction laborers: $57,910

Percent above national average: 41.80%

Number of construction laborers: 4,220

1. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Illinois

Average salary of construction laborers: $58,740

Percent above national average: 43.15%

Number of construction laborers: 24,120