Highway Maintenance Workers earn a median of $50,260 per year ($24.16/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 3.4% through 2035, with about 11,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 47-4051
- Construction and Extraction
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Highway Maintenance Worker in four numbers
- Median pay
- $50,260a year, or $24.16/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $36KTop 10% $72K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.4%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 11,800161,800 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025161.8K
- Projected 2035167.3K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 161.8K Projected 2035 167.3K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school5.2%
- High school88.3%
- Certificate1.4%
- Associate's5.1%
Highest education held by highway maintenance workers Segment Value Less than high school 5.2% High school 88.3% Certificate 1.4% Associate's 5.1%
Also advertised as: Equipment Operator (EO), Highway Maintainer, Highway Maintenance Crew Worker, Highway Maintenance Technician, Highway Maintenance Worker, Maintenance Technician.
Pay
How much do Highway Maintenance Workers make?
Every highway maintenance worker in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$50,260
Middle half earn $43,500 to $61,040
- 10th
- $36,230
- 25th
- $43,500
- 75th
- $61,040
- 90th
- $71,970
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $36,230 |
| 25th | $43,500 |
| Median | $50,260 |
| 75th | $61,040 |
| 90th | $71,970 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $50,260
- Median hourly wage
- $24.16/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $53,080
- People employed
- 154,960
Versus all US occupations
At $50,260, the median for Highway Maintenance Workers sits in line with the $50,980 median across all US occupations.
Versus construction and extraction occupations
Inside the Construction and Extraction group, where the middle occupation pays $60,020, this is 16% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $71,970 or more while the bottom 10% earn $36,230, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 22% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Oregon posts the highest raw median ($65,330), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $68,155 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Highway Maintenance Workers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oregon | $65,330 | $63,206 | 1,650 |
| 2Washington | $65,300 | $61,021 | 2,590 |
| 3Connecticut | $64,870 | $62,610 | 2,130 |
| 4Minnesota | $63,150 | $64,033 | 4,610 |
| 5Illinois | $61,700 | $61,726 | 10,790 |
| 6Massachusetts | $61,500 | $58,152 | 2,000 |
| 7Montana | $60,960 | $64,409 | 1,140 |
| 8North Dakota | $60,630 | $68,155 | 1,240 |
| 9California | $59,580 | $53,811 | 8,150 |
| 10Iowa | $58,490 | $66,646 | 4,000 |
Job outlook
Is Highway Maintenance Worker a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Highway Maintenance Workers | +3.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Highway Maintenance Workers to change 3.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 5,500 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 11,800 openings are projected each year, 7.3% of the 161,800 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Highway Maintenance Worker
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as highway maintenance workers.
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)88.3%
- Less than a High School Diploma5.2%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree5.1%
- Post-Secondary Certificate1.4%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 88.3% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 5.2% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 5.1% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 1.4% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Highway Maintenance Worker do?
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.
Day-to-day tasks
- Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
- Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
- Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement.
- Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
- Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayRarely works in a climate-controlled indoor space.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the timeRegular bending or twisting.
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes carry very serious consequences.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Monitoring3.1
- Active Listening3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Critical Thinking2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Active Learning2.4
- Writing2.1
- Mathematics2.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 |
| Speaking | 3.0 |
| Critical Thinking | 2.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 2.8 |
| Active Learning | 2.4 |
| Writing | 2.1 |
| Mathematics | 2.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Operation and Control3.6
- Operations Monitoring3.5
- Coordination3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
- Troubleshooting2.9
- Quality Control Analysis2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Operation and Control | 3.6 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.5 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.9 |
| Troubleshooting | 2.9 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Highway Maintenance Worker?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Highway Maintenance Worker |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 7 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 1 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic7.0
- Conventional3.5
- Social1.8
- Investigative1.7
- Enterprising1.5
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Highway Maintenance Worker
O*NET related occupations
- Construction and Extraction
Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator
$59,850median a year
Most earn $42K to $101K
+4.6%High school - Construction and Extraction
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operator
$53,340median a year
Most earn $38K to $92K
−0.9%High school - Construction and Extraction
Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operator
$70,070median a year
Most earn $46K to $87K
+1.5%High school - Construction and Extraction
- Construction and Extraction
Septic Tank Servicer and Sewer Pipe Cleaner
$49,880median a year
Most earn $37K to $73K
+7.8%High school - Construction and Extraction
More construction and extraction careers
Median annual pay, with highway maintenance workers highlighted
- Plumber$63,800
- Electrician$63,190
- Structural Iron and Steel Worker$62,780
- Sheet Metal Worker$61,800
- Carpenter$60,580
- Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator$59,850
- Roofer$55,440
- Highway Maintenance Worker$50,260
- Oil and Gas Roustabout$46,960
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Plumber | $63,800 |
| Electrician | $63,190 |
| Structural Iron and Steel Worker | $62,780 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | $61,800 |
| Carpenter | $60,580 |
| Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator | $59,850 |
| Roofer | $55,440 |
| Highway Maintenance Worker | $50,260 |
| Oil and Gas Roustabout | $46,960 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Highway Maintenance Worker appears on
Questions
Highway Maintenance Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Highway Maintenance Workers make?
Highway Maintenance Workers earn a median of $50,260 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), close to the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $24.16/hr. The middle half earn between $43,500 and $61,040. The top 10% earn $71,970 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Highway Maintenance Worker?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Highway Maintenance Workers. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 88.3% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).
Is Highway Maintenance Worker a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.4% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 11,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Highway Maintenance Worker do?
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. A core O*NET task: drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Highway Maintenance Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Highway Maintenance Workers are Oregon ($65,330), Washington ($65,300), Connecticut ($64,870) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $68,155.
What personality type suits a Highway Maintenance Worker?
O*NET scores Highway Maintenance Workers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.