Highway Maintenance Workers

Definition

Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement, repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road or plow snow from roadway. Excludes tree trimmers and pruners.

source: OOH; about this section

Significant Points

2004 employment: 143,000
Projected 2004-14 employment change: Faster than average
Most significant source of postsecondary education or training: Moderate-term on-the-job training

source: OOH; about this section

Quick Stats

Highway maintenance workers

2004 employment: 143,000
2014 projected employment: 177,000
Change — numeric: 33,000; percent: 23.3%
2004 median annual earnings: $29,550; earnings group: high
2004 self-employed: 1.2%
2004 part-time employment: very low
2004 unemployment: high
Typical education and training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Educational attainment — high school: 77.6%; some college: 21.6%; bachelor's degree: 0.8%

source: Employment Matrix; about this section

Earnings Graph

National Average and Percentile Annual Earnings, May 2005

Metropolitan area and State estimates.

source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about this section

Area and Industry Statistics

May 2005 Mean Annual Earnings and Employment, wage and salary workers

Highway maintenance workers
— National
U.S.:	$30,950
— by State
AL:	$23,250
AK:	$46,350
AZ:	$27,990
AR:	$23,720
CA:	$42,750
CO:	$35,200
CT:	$42,940
DE:	$27,280
FL:	$25,640
GA:	$22,150
ID:	$30,880
IL:	$39,760
IN:	$26,880
IA:	$32,980
KS:	$26,890
LA:	$22,950
ME:	$25,540
MD:	$30,610
MA:	$36,760
MI:	$34,310
MN:	$36,920
MS:	$20,860
MO:	$27,580
MT:	$32,430
NE:	$26,770
NV:	$36,120
NH:	$28,820
NJ:	$37,920
NM:	$25,700
NY:	$33,260
NC:	$24,960
ND:	$26,770
OH:	$32,130
OK:	$22,000
OR:	$33,190
PA:	$29,620
RI:	$34,450
SC:	$24,320
SD:	$24,750
TN:	$22,690
TX:	$24,350
UT:	$34,750
VT:	$30,750
VA:	$29,280
WA:	$40,200
WV:	$21,120
WI:	$32,030
WY:	$33,060
PR:	$14,120
— by NAICS Industry Sector
23	$32,790
31-33	$28,210
48-49	$26,300
56	$28,850
92	$30,960
Also see State and Metropolitan Area and industry estimates of employment and percentile earnings for highway maintenance workers.

Width of bars indicates mean annual wages; color of bars indicates employment.

source: Occupational Employment Statistics Program; about this section

Demographics

Highway maintenance workers

Employed persons, 2004

Employed persons: 96,000	Percent of total
	Women	Men	Black	Asian	Hispanic
	2.7%	97.3%	10.6%	0.3%	14.8%

Full-time wage and salary workers, 2004
Employment Median weekly earnings
$ W/M ratio
Women
(emp.) (earn.) 2,000 n.a. -
Men
(emp.) (earn.) 79,000 $572
All workers
(emp.) (earn.) 81,000 $565

source: Current Population Survey; about this section

Census Statistics

1999 employment and earnings distribution, year-round full-time workers

Highway maintenance workers

	Percentile earnings distribution
	10th	25th	50th	75th	90th
All workers employment: 70,700 average earnings: $31,000	$17,000	$21,000	$28,000	$36,000	$46,000
Men employment: 68,130 average earnings: $31,000	$17,000	$21,000	$28,000	$36,000	$46,000
Women employment: 2,570 average earnings: $30,000	$16,000	$21,000	$28,000	$33,000	$43,000

source: Bureau of the Census; about this section

Fatalities

2004 Fatal occupational injuries by occupation and event or exposure

Occupation	Fatalities: Event or exposure
Occupation	Total	Tran.	Viol.	Cont.	Falls	Expo.	Fires
Highway maintenance workers	21	18	-	-	-	-	-

source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities Program; about this section

Also see Highway maintenance workers in the 2004-05 edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook
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See the Occupational Outlook Handbook in print.

	Employment	Median weekly earnings
	Employment	$	W/M ratio
Women (emp.) (earn.)	2,000	n.a.	-
Men (emp.) (earn.)	79,000	$572	-
All workers (emp.) (earn.)	81,000	$565