Ohio ranks 10th for construction pay

Ohio is a good state to work in if you are a construction worker. 

Based on data released by constructioncoverage.com, the Buckeye State ranked 10th in the nation for construction worker wages. Multiple Ohio cities placed within the top 10 in their size category for pay, as well. 

Analysts at Construction Coverage analyzed wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and cost of living data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to determine where in the country construction workers earn the most and least. The rankings were then adjusted based on the cost of living in each 
respective area. 

    
The data does not differentiate between union and non-union construction workers. However, not surprisingly, states with higher union densities ranked higher in 
most cases. 
    
Since 2020, Ohio has ranked in the top 10 for construction worker pay, coming in at eighth in 2020 and ninth in 2023. 

The median adjusted wage for construction workers in Ohio was $66,124. The unadjusted median wage for construction workers was $60,710, compared to the unadjusted wage for all workers in the state, which was $48,060. 

Illinois topped the state list with a median adjusted wage of $79,348, followed by Hawaii ($73,060), Alaska ($72,841), Minnesota ($70,923) and Massachusetts ($70,382).

The data revealed the Midwest is home to some of the highest wages for construction workers after adjusting for cost-of-living differences. According to the report, this reflects both relatively strong nominal wages and a more affordable cost of living, which allows construction workers to retain more of their earnings. 

Southern states ranked the lowest, as construction workers earned roughly 40 percent less after adjusting for the cost of living than those who work in Illinois. Florida was at the bottom ($46,843), with Texas ($49,817), Georgia ($50,683), Virginia ($51,455) and North Carolina ($51,711) rounding out the 
bottom five. 

The metropolitan-level followed the state pattern, as many of the lowest-paying regions, after adjusting for cost-of-living differences, are in southern states. Conversely, midwestern metro areas were well represented among the top-paying locations. 

However, among large metropolitan areas with populations over 1 million, several coastal cities, including San Jose, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco and New York, rank high on the list despite the higher cost of living in those cities.

Regions were broken down into three categories: large metros (populations of 1 million or more), midsize metros (population between 350,000 and 999,999) and small metros (population less than 350,000).

In the large metro category, Chicago topped the list with a median adjusted wage of $80,248. Minneapolis-St. Paul was second at $73,582. St. Louis ($71,092), San Jose, Calif. ($70,127) and Boston ($69,299) rounded out the top five. 

Two Ohio metropolitan areas placed in the top 10, as Cleveland ($67,193) was ninth and Columbus ($67,026) was 10th. 

Peoria, Ill. ($86,056) took first in the midsize category, followed by Honolulu ($73,581), Trenton, N.J. ($73,459), Springfield, Mass. ($72,281) and Davenport, Iowa ($70,793). 

Two Ohio regions came in the top 10, as Toledo was seventh at $69,571, and Canton ($68,535) came in at 10th. Youngstown scored a 14th-place finish with adjusted wages at $67,122, while Akron ($66,446) was ranked 16th and Dayton ($66,205) was 17th.

The Wheeling area, which covers parts of West Virginia and Ohio, was the only small-sized Ohio metropolitan area to finish in the top 20. Wheeling ($72,063) checked in at 18th. The top five small metro markets were: Kokomo, Ind. ($89,510), Decatur, Ill. ($85,666), Champaign, Ill. ($83,776), Rockford, Ill. ($83,438) and Duluth, Minn. ($83,077).

While the report did not delve into the numbers, eight of the top 10 states with the highest adjusted wages for construction workers are states where at least 10 percent of their population in 2024 was union members. The only outliers were North Dakota and Wisconsin. 

This data supports the power of collective bargaining, as the states that have the lowest adjusted wages for construction workers generally have small union populations. 

In states such as Illinois, Hawaii, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Ohio, Prevailing Wage laws, Project Labor Agreements and Community Benefit Agreements ensure that construction workers are compensated fairly for their work. These mechanisms also help ensure that the tradesmen and tradeswomen who work on projects governed by them receive good health insurance and retirement benefits.