Highway Maintenance Workers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for highway maintenance workers in the U.S. is $50,260 ($24.16 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $50,260
- Mean annual wage
- $53,080
- Median hourly wage
- $24.16
- Employment
- 154,960
154,960 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,230 | $17.42 |
| 25th percentile | $43,500 | $20.91 |
| Median (50th) | $50,260 | $24.16 |
| 75th percentile | $61,040 | $29.35 |
| 90th percentile | $71,970 | $34.60 |
Highest-paying states for highway maintenance workers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $65,330 | 1,650 |
| Washington | $65,300 | 2,590 |
| Connecticut | $64,870 | 2,130 |
| Minnesota | $63,150 | 4,610 |
| Illinois | $61,700 | 10,790 |
| Massachusetts | $61,500 | 2,000 |
| Montana | $60,960 | 1,140 |
| North Dakota | $60,630 | 1,240 |
| California | $59,580 | 8,150 |
| Iowa | $58,490 | 4,000 |
Lowest-paying states
- Mississippi: $35,120 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $35,740 median annual wage
- Alabama: $37,430 median annual wage
- Georgia: $37,560 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $38,840 median annual wage
About this occupation
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
Typical tasks
- Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
- Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
- Perform roadside landscaping work, such as clearing weeds and brush, and planting and trimming trees.
- Inspect markers to verify accurate installation.
- Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 9.5% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 55.1% |
| Some college, no degree | 21.9% |
| Associate's degree | 8.8% |
| Bachelor's degree | 3.7% |
| Master's degree | 0.9% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Construction Laborers$47,120
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$79,920
- Electricians$63,190
- Carpenters$60,580
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$59,850
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance$49,400
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.