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
60
indexed BLS occupations
Median pay range
$38,140–$106,580
BLS 2024, occupation-wide
Typical pay (midpoint)
$54,500
median of these medians
Most common entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
across 60 occupations
Projected to grow fastest
BLS projected employment change, 2024–2034.
Largest by employment
BLS employment estimate, 2024.
Typical entry-level education
How many of these occupations BLS classifies at each typical entry-level education. Many roles also have experience or licensure requirements beyond a degree.
- High school diploma or equivalent: 32
- No formal educational credential: 28
Occupations in this field
Every occupation BLS places in this field, with median pay, the openings each is projected to average per year, its projected employment change, and the education most entrants hold. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first, which is the measure of how much hiring a field actually does rather than how much it pays.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers | $46,730 | 129,400 | +7.3% | No formal educational credential |
| Electricians | $62,350 | 81,000 | +9.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | $78,690 | 74,400 | +5.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Carpenters | $59,310 | 74,100 | +4.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | $62,970 | 44,000 | +4.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators | $58,710 | 41,900 | +3.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Painters, construction and maintenance | $48,660 | 28,100 | +3.8% | No formal educational credential |
| Construction and building inspectors | $72,120 | 14,800 | -0.8% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Cement masons and concrete finishers | $54,660 | 14,300 | +1.8% | No formal educational credential |
| Roofers | $50,970 | 12,700 | +5.9% | No formal educational credential |
| Highway maintenance workers | $49,070 | 12,300 | +3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Sheet metal workers | $60,850 | 10,600 | +2.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Drywall and ceiling tile installers | $58,140 | 7,700 | +4.2% | No formal educational credential |
| Helpers--electricians | $39,890 | 6,800 | +0.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | $60,800 | 5,600 | +3.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Structural iron and steel workers | $62,700 | 5,500 | +4.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Glaziers | $55,440 | 5,100 | +3.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Hazardous materials removal workers | $48,490 | 5,000 | +1% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters | $39,270 | 4,900 | +4.9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Roustabouts, oil and gas | $47,510 | 4,300 | +2.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Tile and stone setters | $52,240 | 4,200 | +10.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Service unit operators, oil and gas | $57,980 | 4,100 | +0.4% | No formal educational credential |
| Solar photovoltaic installers | $51,860 | 4,100 | +42.1% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators | $51,650 | 4,000 | +3.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Insulation workers, floor, ceiling, and wall | $48,680 | 3,400 | +3.8% | No formal educational credential |
| Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining | $52,550 | 3,100 | -0.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Miscellaneous construction and related workers | $48,120 | 3,100 | +3.5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners | $49,140 | 2,900 | +7.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Helpers, construction trades, all other | $40,760 | 2,800 | +4.4% | No formal educational credential |
| Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles | $54,340 | 2,700 | +9.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Helpers--carpenters | $41,600 | 2,700 | +4.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Pipelayers | $48,710 | 2,400 | -4.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Fence erectors | $46,940 | 2,300 | +4.6% | No formal educational credential |
| Insulation workers, mechanical | $57,250 | 2,300 | +4.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Elevator and escalator installers and repairers | $106,580 | 2,000 | +5% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Plasterers and stucco masons | $56,020 | 1,900 | +4.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Earth drillers, except oil and gas | $59,600 | 1,700 | +2.9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Continuous mining machine operators | $63,380 | 1,600 | +0.6% | No formal educational credential |
| Reinforcing iron and rebar workers | $59,280 | 1,500 | +4.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters | $46,480 | 1,400 | -10.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Rotary drill operators, oil and gas | $65,010 | 1,200 | +0.2% | No formal educational credential |
| Carpet installers | $49,850 | 1,100 | -9.6% | No formal educational credential |
| Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators | $67,370 | 1,100 | +1.6% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Tapers | $64,700 | 1,100 | +0.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Derrick operators, oil and gas | $62,740 | 1,000 | +0.5% | No formal educational credential |
| Boilermakers | $73,340 | 800 | -2.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons | $38,140 | 800 | +2.3% | No formal educational credential |
| Stonemasons | $51,990 | 800 | -3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Extraction workers, all other | $50,110 | 700 | +1.4% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Helpers--extraction workers | $48,400 | 700 | -1.7% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Helpers--roofers | $40,590 | 600 | +5.7% | No formal educational credential |
| Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters | $59,110 | 500 | -0.9% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Loading and moving machine operators, underground mining | $68,860 | 500 | -22.3% | No formal educational credential |
| Floor sanders and finishers | $49,150 | 400 | +2.6% | No formal educational credential |
| Rock splitters, quarry | $47,460 | 400 | +4.4% | No formal educational credential |
| Underground mining machine operators, all other | $67,220 | 400 | -6.1% | No formal educational credential |
| Pile driver operators | $70,510 | 300 | +4.3% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Paperhangers | $48,260 | 200 | +5.3% | No formal educational credential |
| Roof bolters, mining | $76,640 | 100 | -34.2% | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Terrazzo workers and finishers | $57,260 | 100 | -11.1% | High school diploma or equivalent |
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2024 wages and Employment Projections. “Most entrants hold” describes the education people already working in the occupation typically have. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Majors that lead into this field
CampusPin majors whose program maps to occupations in this field via the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk.
Frequently asked questions
What careers are in the construction & extraction field?
CampusPin lists 60 construction & extraction occupations from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, including Elevator and escalator installers and repairers, First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers, Roof bolters, mining, Boilermakers. Each links to a career page with median pay, projected job growth, and typical entry-level education.
How much do construction & extraction careers pay?
Across these occupations, BLS 2024 median pay ranges from $38,140 to $106,580 per year, with a midpoint (the median of the occupations' medians) near $54,500. Median pay is occupation-wide, not a starting wage, and varies by state, employer, and experience.
What education do construction & extraction careers require?
Typical entry-level education varies by occupation; the most common in this field is high school diploma or equivalent. 32 occupations list high school diploma or equivalent; 28 occupations list no formal educational credential.
Which construction & extraction careers are projected to grow fastest?
Over 2024–2034, BLS projects the fastest growth for Solar photovoltaic installers (+42.1%), Tile and stone setters (+10.1%), Electricians (+9.5%), Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles (+9.5%), Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners (+7.6%). Projections are BLS model estimates, not guarantees.
Put this field in context
The pay and growth numbers above are field-wide BLS medians and national projections across construction & extraction occupations, not a starting salary or a guarantee for any single job. These CampusPin guides explain how to read them and how a field connects to majors and college choices.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
How one major connects to many careers
A major points toward several occupations in a field, not a single destination.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Compare cost, earnings, and debt together
Weigh price, earnings, and debt side by side without reducing a field to one number.
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.