Highway maintenance workers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

79.2k

Average Age

44.2

Estimated Job Growth

3.02%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$50,684

Average Male Salary

$50,803

Average Female Salary

$47,195

About

Highway maintenance workers are most often employed by the Construction industry. The average yearly wage for Highway maintenance workers was $50,684 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Highway maintenance workers are Southern Vermont--Rutland, Windsor, Bennington & Windham Counties PUMA, VT, Kennebec County PUMA, ME, and North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Highway maintenance workers are Doña Ana County (Outer) PUMA, NM, Lakota Region PUMA, SD, and North Central & Northwest Nebraska PUMA, NE.

Photo by Rene Schwietzke

Natural resources, construction, & maintenance occupations Construction & Extraction Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Highway maintenance workers workforce. Highway maintenance workers workforce in 2024 was 79,211 people, of which 3.3% were women and 96.7% were men.

Highway maintenance workers are paid most in Tazewell County PUMA, IL but are relatively concentrated in Doña Ana County (Outer) PUMA, NM.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

76,595

Male Workforce

± 6.79k

2,616

Female Workforce

± 1.26k

The Highway maintenance workers workforce in 2024 was 79,211 people (3.3% women and 96.7% men). This implies an average annual growth of −20.2% between 2014 (99,239) and 2024 (79,211).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Highway maintenance workers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Illinois ($72,963), Massachusetts ($65,346), and New Jersey ($64,765).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$50,684

AVERAGE WAGE

#290 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Highway maintenance workers earned an average of $50,684, $19,194 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Highway maintenance workers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Highway maintenance workers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.262, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Highway maintenance workers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Highway maintenance workers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Highway maintenance workers and on wages for those in the field. Construction is the industry that employs the most Highway maintenance workers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Highway maintenance workers, by average wage, is Museums, art galleries, historical sites, & similar institutions ($80,481).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

79.2k

2024 Workforce

± 6,908

−5.83%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 12.9%

This graphic shows the share of Highway maintenance workers employed by various industries. Construction employs the largest share of Highway maintenance workers at 90.8%, followed by Services incidental to transportation with 4.27% and Executive offices & legislative bodies with 2.69%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Highway maintenance workers in the US. The workforce of Highway maintenance workers in 2024 was 79,211 people, with 3.3% woman, and 96.7% men. The average age of male Highway maintenance workers in the workforce is 44.2 and of female Highway maintenance workers is 42.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Highway maintenance workers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Highway maintenance workers in 2024 was 79,211 people, with 3.3% woman, and 96.7% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 55 to 59 years (10,240 people), 50 to 54 years (9,595 people), and 60 to 64 years (8,572 people). Among them they concentrated 35.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 14.1% of Highway maintenance workers workers were Hispanic and 85.9% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (68%), Puerto Rican (11.9)%, and Guatemalan (5.57)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 75.1% of the Highway maintenance workers workforce were White, of which 3.04% were women and 97% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Two or More Races (8.58%) and Black (8.34%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Highway maintenance workers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Highway maintenance workers is Business but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Agriculture.

Among the necessary skills for Highway maintenance workers, Operation and Control stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Highway maintenance workers need more than the average amount of Operation and Control.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Highway maintenance workers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Business (790 people), Protective Services (316 people), and Agriculture (307 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Highway maintenance workers workers were High School or Equivalent (45,750 people), Some college (16,532 people), and Associates Degree (6,395 people).

The graphic shows the Highway maintenance workers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Highway maintenance workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Highway maintenance workers need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Coordination, Operations Monitoring.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Highway Maintenance Workers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Highway Maintenance Workers are expected to see a growth of 3.02% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

3.02%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Highway maintenance workers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.