47
Highway Maintenance Workers is a notable career in the 47 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Highway Maintenance Workers against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
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| soc | 47-4051 |
| title | Highway Maintenance Workers |
| onet code | 47-4051.00 |
| description | 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. |
| job zone | 2 |
| major group | 47 |
| tot emp | 151,750 |
| a mean | 51,410 |
| a median | 49,070 |
| a pct10 | 35,030 |
| a pct25 | 41,540 |
| a pct75 | 59,600 |
| a pct90 | 69,210 |
| h mean | 24 |
| h median | 23 |
The day-to-day work of a highway maintenance workers typically centers on set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, and Coordination. Across the top 7 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.19 out of 5 — moderately weighted for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working highway maintenance workers, the most common entry qualification is a High School Diploma (88.3%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 0% of incumbents. Most workers enter without a four-year degree, making this a relatively accessible career path.
Median annual pay is highest in Connecticut at $63,770 and lowest in Mississippi at $34,090 — a 1.9× spread. The top five states (Connecticut, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Minnesota) average $62,598. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $63,770 | $64,840 | $56,310 | $76,040 | 2,110 |
| Washington | $63,420 | $65,110 | $53,950 | $77,870 | 2,620 |
| Oregon | $62,990 | $62,100 | $49,690 | $70,320 | 1,670 |
| Alaska | $61,910 | $60,130 | $44,880 | $70,990 | 50 |
| Minnesota | $60,900 | $59,550 | $47,380 | $70,140 | 3,860 |
| North Dakota | $60,830 | $62,640 | $49,190 | $77,420 | 1,200 |
| Montana | $60,730 | $58,280 | $47,810 | $63,160 | 1,020 |
| Massachusetts | $59,240 | $58,850 | $45,300 | $73,270 | 1,840 |
| California | $58,300 | $61,640 | $42,900 | $80,200 | 7,770 |
| Illinois | $58,130 | $61,410 | $34,420 | $89,880 | 11,050 |
| Iowa | $56,800 | $55,570 | $45,240 | $65,150 | 4,400 |
| Colorado | $56,440 | $53,610 | $43,650 | $62,990 | 1,900 |
| Vermont | $56,420 | $55,950 | $46,530 | $71,850 | 1,020 |
| Wisconsin | $54,780 | $54,180 | $43,750 | $64,460 | 5,530 |
| Maryland | $54,300 | $54,530 | $36,860 | $74,060 | 700 |
| Rhode Island | $54,080 | $54,680 | $47,860 | $61,900 | 600 |
| Utah | $52,470 | $53,220 | $43,060 | $64,770 | 1,200 |
| New York | $52,010 | $55,470 | $42,230 | $73,250 | 14,200 |
| New Jersey | $50,700 | $57,350 | $35,970 | $82,340 | 5,780 |
| Michigan | $49,600 | $49,190 | $33,260 | $62,140 | 4,060 |
| Idaho | $49,440 | $50,180 | $39,240 | $60,900 | 1,330 |
| Virginia | $49,360 | $51,690 | $38,620 | $63,500 | 3,640 |
| New Hampshire | $49,200 | $50,470 | $39,970 | $60,310 | 1,200 |
| Wyoming | $48,590 | $50,330 | $43,770 | $61,650 | 720 |
| Indiana | $48,570 | $49,450 | $40,940 | $60,910 | 3,850 |
| Ohio | $47,990 | $49,860 | $34,760 | $65,470 | 6,600 |
| Arizona | $47,770 | $48,270 | $37,070 | $60,910 | 1,570 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,680 | $49,920 | $36,680 | $66,210 | 11,210 |
| South Dakota | $47,650 | $47,560 | $37,320 | $59,020 | 1,740 |
| Maine | $47,380 | $47,690 | $38,510 | $57,720 | 1,450 |
| Nebraska | $47,080 | $47,410 | $39,260 | $57,500 | 2,650 |
| Tennessee | $47,000 | $46,450 | $33,330 | $57,270 | 2,040 |
| Nevada | $46,300 | $50,360 | $34,930 | $70,330 | 1,010 |
| Missouri | $46,280 | $46,710 | $36,400 | $57,760 | 5,300 |
| New Mexico | $46,250 | $45,020 | $33,550 | $55,810 | 1,290 |
| West Virginia | $45,310 | $43,240 | $29,160 | $51,010 | 700 |
| Kansas | $45,170 | $43,840 | $32,610 | $56,990 | 2,580 |
| North Carolina | $43,760 | $45,400 | $32,850 | $57,090 | 3,770 |
| Texas | $42,180 | $43,000 | $32,040 | $55,460 | 6,950 |
| Delaware | $40,380 | $44,210 | $31,640 | $61,440 | 90 |
| Louisiana | $40,020 | $43,320 | $26,070 | $60,320 | 1,480 |
| Florida | $39,390 | $42,120 | $33,610 | $51,880 | 1,710 |
| Oklahoma | $38,780 | $39,150 | $30,170 | $47,700 | 2,880 |
| Arkansas | $38,070 | $38,460 | $28,070 | $48,560 | 1,190 |
| South Carolina | $38,000 | $38,660 | $30,660 | $45,780 | 930 |
| Georgia | $37,120 | $38,260 | $29,070 | $46,490 | 2,180 |
| Kentucky | $36,900 | $38,150 | $29,700 | $48,110 | 2,350 |
| Alabama | $36,050 | $37,370 | $27,260 | $50,600 | 2,700 |
| Mississippi | $34,090 | $34,400 | $26,170 | $43,350 | 3,850 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for highway maintenance workers. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Asphalt Raker or Caltrans Equipment Operator frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Highway Maintenance Workers compares to others in the 47 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Highway Maintenance Workers
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
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