Career field
Construction & Extraction careers
Occupations that build infrastructure and extract natural resources. CampusPin lists 60 construction & extraction occupations, with median pay ranging from $38,140 to $106,580 per year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024). Median pay is occupation-wide, not a starting wage or a guarantee.
Occupations in this field
- Elevator and escalator installers and repairers$106,580
- First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers$78,690
- Roof bolters, mining$76,640
- Boilermakers$73,340
- Construction and building inspectors$72,120
- Pile driver operators$70,510
- Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining$68,860
- Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators$67,370
- Underground mining machine operators, all other$67,220
- Rotary drill operators, oil and gas$65,010
- Tapers$64,700
- Continuous mining machine operators$63,380
- Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters$62,970
- Derrick operators, oil and gas$62,740
- Structural iron and steel workers$62,700
- Electricians$62,350
- Sheet metal workers$60,850
- Brickmasons and blockmasons$60,800
- Earth drillers, except oil and gas$59,600
- Carpenters$59,310
- Reinforcing iron and rebar workers$59,280
- Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters$59,110
- Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators$58,710
- Drywall and ceiling tile installers$58,140
- Service unit operators, oil and gas$57,980
- Terrazzo workers and finishers$57,260
- Insulation workers, mechanical$57,250
- Plasterers and stucco masons$56,020
- Glaziers$55,440
- Cement masons and concrete finishers$54,660
- Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles$54,340
- Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining$52,550
- Tile and stone setters$52,240
- Stonemasons$51,990
- Solar photovoltaic installers$51,860
- Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators$51,650
- Roofers$50,970
- Extraction workers, all other$50,110
- Carpet installers$49,850
- Floor sanders and finishers$49,150
- Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners$49,140
- Highway maintenance workers$49,070
- Pipelayers$48,710
- Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall$48,680
- Painters, construction and maintenance$48,660
- Hazardous materials removal workers$48,490
- Helpers--extraction workers$48,400
- Paperhangers$48,260
- Miscellaneous construction and related workers$48,120
- Roustabouts, oil and gas$47,510
- Rock splitters, quarry$47,460
- Fence erectors$46,940
- Construction laborers$46,730
- Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters$46,480
- Helpers--carpenters$41,600
- Helpers, construction trades, all other$40,760
- Helpers--roofers$40,590
- Helpers--electricians$39,890
- Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters$39,270
- Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons$38,140
Occupation data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (Employment Projections); wages are 2024 and projections cover 2024–2034. Figures are national, not institution-specific, and projections are estimates, not guarantees.