Highway Maintenance Workers Salaries by State
Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for highway maintenance workerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).
Job Outlook, 2024–2034
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.
Salary Map
Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.
💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States
- Washington$67,870
- Connecticut$66,700
- Illinois$66,410
- Oregon$63,650
- California$63,070
📉 5 Lowest-Paying States
- Mississippi$35,140
- Arkansas$36,310
- Alabama$38,990
- Georgia$39,710
- Oklahoma$40,570
State Rankings
| # | State | Mean | Median | Hourly | vs. U.S. | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $67,870 | $65,300 | $33 | +27.9% | 2,590 |
| 2 | Connecticut | $66,700 | $64,870 | $32 | +25.7% | 2,130 |
| 3 | Illinois | $66,410 | $61,700 | $32 | +25.1% | 10,790 |
| 4 | Oregon | $63,650 | $65,330 | $31 | +19.9% | 1,650 |
| 5 | California | $63,070 | $59,580 | $30 | +18.8% | 8,150 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $62,150 | $60,630 | $30 | +17.1% | 1,240 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $61,800 | $61,500 | $30 | +16.4% | 2,000 |
| 8 | Montana | $60,320 | $60,960 | $29 | +13.6% | 1,140 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $60,280 | $63,150 | $29 | +13.6% | 4,610 |
| 10 | Alaska | $59,650 | $54,090 | $29 | +12.4% | 50 |
| 11 | Iowa | $57,670 | $58,490 | $28 | +8.6% | 4,000 |
| 12 | New York | $57,190 | $55,210 | $28 | +7.7% | 13,820 |
| 13 | Vermont | $56,930 | $58,460 | $27 | +7.3% | 1,170 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $56,570 | $51,720 | $27 | +6.6% | 4,850 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $56,390 | $57,950 | $27 | +6.2% | 620 |
| 16 | Utah | $56,390 | $55,970 | $27 | +6.2% | 1,240 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $56,080 | $58,000 | $27 | +5.7% | 6,000 |
| 18 | Colorado | $55,710 | $52,350 | $27 | +5% | 1,990 |
| 19 | Idaho | $55,280 | $52,050 | $27 | +4.1% | 1,340 |
| 20 | Maryland | $55,040 | $49,030 | $26 | +3.7% | 620 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $52,940 | $51,050 | $25 | -0.3% | 1,230 |
| 22 | Nevada | $52,510 | $49,320 | $25 | -1.1% | 990 |
| 23 | Michigan | $51,910 | $53,750 | $25 | -2.2% | 5,230 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $51,900 | $48,190 | $25 | -2.2% | 820 |
| 25 | Virginia | $51,790 | $50,800 | $25 | -2.4% | 3,400 |
| 26 | Ohio | $51,170 | $48,880 | $25 | -3.6% | 6,070 |
| 27 | Nebraska | $50,920 | $48,650 | $24 | -4.1% | 2,580 |
| 28 | South Dakota | $50,470 | $48,610 | $24 | -4.9% | 1,800 |
| 29 | Arizona | $50,260 | $50,850 | $24 | -5.3% | 1,410 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $50,060 | $47,690 | $24 | -5.7% | 11,140 |
| 31 | Indiana | $49,430 | $48,480 | $24 | -6.9% | 4,380 |
| 32 | Maine | $49,300 | $49,030 | $24 | -7.1% | 1,620 |
| 33 | South Carolina | $48,900 | $48,130 | $24 | -7.9% | 2,290 |
| 34 | Missouri | $48,470 | $47,470 | $23 | -8.7% | 5,470 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $47,340 | $47,740 | $23 | -10.8% | 1,470 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $47,300 | $47,880 | $23 | -10.9% | 3,750 |
| 37 | Delaware | $47,160 | $45,450 | $23 | -11.2% | 90 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $46,070 | $46,070 | $22 | -13.2% | 2,280 |
| 39 | Kansas | $45,970 | $46,050 | $22 | -13.4% | 1,960 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $45,290 | $45,260 | $22 | -14.7% | 730 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $44,970 | $44,790 | $22 | -15.3% | 1,050 |
| 42 | Texas | $44,770 | $45,540 | $22 | -15.7% | 6,630 |
| 43 | Florida | $43,130 | $42,210 | $21 | -18.7% | 2,530 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $41,960 | $40,400 | $20 | -20.9% | 3,030 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $40,570 | $38,840 | $20 | -23.6% | 3,180 |
| 46 | Georgia | $39,710 | $37,560 | $19 | -25.2% | 1,980 |
| 47 | Alabama | $38,990 | $37,430 | $19 | -26.5% | 2,730 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $36,310 | $35,740 | $17 | -31.6% | 860 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $35,140 | $35,120 | $17 | -33.8% | 4,160 |
Top-Paying Metro Areas
Highest median pay among 478 metro areas.
| # | Metro area | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $79,000 | $84,480 | 360 |
| 2 | Vallejo, CA | $76,510 | $75,770 | 100 |
| 3 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $76,220 | $72,470 | 4,110 |
| 4 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $75,030 | $75,480 | 820 |
| 5 | Kankakee, IL | $73,080 | $67,520 | 100 |
| 6 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $72,910 | $69,840 | 90 |
| 7 | Springfield, IL | $71,320 | $72,660 | 180 |
| 8 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $71,140 | $71,210 | 80 |
| 9 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $68,720 | $66,210 | 130 |
| 10 | Albany, OR | $68,600 | $67,090 | 40 |
Pay by Industry
Highest-paying industries employing highway maintenance workerss (BLS OEWS, by median).
| # | Industry | Median | Mean | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utility System Construction | $80,080 | $70,080 | — |
| 2 | Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) | $60,610 | $64,190 | 30 |
| 3 | Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) | $60,610 | $64,190 | 30 |
| 4 | Sector 81 - Other Services (except Public Administration) | $55,850 | $53,370 | — |
| 5 | State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $53,100 | $55,810 | 38,360 |
| 6 | State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $53,100 | $55,810 | 38,370 |
| 7 | Facilities Support Services | $52,370 | $61,700 | 30 |
| 8 | Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $50,450 | $53,070 | 148,690 |
| 9 | Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS | $50,450 | $53,070 | 148,700 |
| 10 | Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS | $50,450 | $53,070 | 148,690 |
| 11 | Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local | $50,260 | $53,080 | 154,960 |
| 12 | Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | $49,500 | $52,110 | 110,300 |
Workforce Deep-Dive
Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.
Annual wage distribution
Pay by age band
Education level
Full-time vs part-time
Race / ethnicity
Top fields of study
Top Skills
Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do highway maintenance workers make in the U.S.?
The median highway maintenance workers salary in the United States is $50,260 per year (mean $53,080), and about 80% earn between $36,230 and $71,970.
How much do highway maintenance workers make per hour?
Roughly $26 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $53,080 and 2,080 work hours per year.
Which state pays highway maintenance workers the most?
Washington has the highest average pay for highway maintenance workers at $67,870 per year (median $65,300).
What is the job outlook for highway maintenance workers?
Employment is projected to change +3% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 12,300 openings per year.