Construction wages rising, but labor gap persists

Amid these labor market pressures, construction wages are rising, but not as much as one might expect and gains vary by state and occupation. In Wisconsin, the fastest increases cluster in specific trades, while others have seen far less progress.

 

In the 2025 edition of their Construction Jobs with the Fastest-Growing Wages report, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify how wages are trending across the construction industry nationally, by state, and by specific occupation.

Here are the five construction jobs with the fastest-growing wages in Wisconsin:

Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators: 2024 Mean Annual Wage: $74.050

Tile and Stone Setters: Mean Annual Wage: $61,520

Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers: Mean Annual Wage: $57,020

Structural Iron and Steel Workers: Mean Annual Wage: $83,280

Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling and Wall: Mean Annual Wage: $57,350

Here are some other key takeaways from the report:

Wages Up, Purchasing Power Down: In 2024, construction and extraction workers earned a mean annual wage of $63,920, up 21.6% from 2019 in nominal terms but down 0.9% after adjusting for inflation.

West Coast Advantage: California, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada combine high wages with strong growth, each topping $69,000 in cost-of-living-adjusted wages and posting 2.6–4.5% real gains since 2019.

Fastest-Growing Paychecks: Out of all construction jobs, quarry rock splitters (+10.2%), construction helpers (+7.5%), and paving equipment operators (+7.1%) posted the strongest inflation-adjusted wage gains over the past five years.