Construction Salaries Continue to Rise

Skilled craft professionals continue to earn high wages, according to NCCER’s 2022 Construction Craft Salary Survey. More than 135 commercial, industrial and residential construction companies across the U.S., representing over 337,000 employees, participated in the survey. The individual craft areas reported provide average annual salaries, not including overtime, per diem, bonuses or other incentives.

Of the 41 construction positions surveyed, average annual salaries ranged from $49,920 to $98,965. Project supervisors and project managers topped the list, earning over $90,200 and $98,900, respectively. Professions earning more than $65,000 include HVAC technician, commercial electrician, instrumentation fitter, boilermaker, industrial maintenance mechanic, pipefitter, rigger, millwright, industrial electrician, pipe welder, surveyor, construction site safety technician, electronic systems technician, mobile crane operator, plumber, combo welder, tower crane operator, instrumentation technician and power line worker.

Additionally, eight more craft areas made more than $60,000 per year. The most significant pay increase was power line worker, up 25% from previous years, with plumber a close second at a 23% increase. Since many craft professionals receive additional pay incentives, their take-home pay is typically much greater than the incomes reflected.

This survey is one of many resources NCCER and its Build Your Future initiative offer to promote construction careers and help build a pipeline of qualified craft professionals. Complete results are available at nccer.org/research. The organizations that take part in NCCER’s survey do so voluntarily, and all specific company information remains confidential. Only positions which received enough responses to calculate a valid average are included.