Recent analysis by the NAHB of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) survey show the 2014 median annual wage of most positions in the residential building sector exceeded the U.S median annual wage of $35,540. The median wage in the residential construction sector was $39,000.
While the analysis is very focused only on the residential building and remodeling industry, it includes all jobs in that sector. The occupation with the highest 2014 wage in the industry was the legal profession, which had a median income of just a little more than $101,780. Managers had a median wage of approximately $80,510 in 2014.
Among field workers, construction supervisors earned the most, with an annual median wage of $58,240. Carpenters, who make up the largest group of workers (46% of the construction occupations in the industry), had a median annual wage of $38,990 in 2014, 10% higher than the U.S. median annual wage. (See also: "What Carpenters Earned in 2014," Remodeling 12/14).
The largest gains were seen for occupations that builders have noted as being in short supply, including drywallers and roofers. While solar photovoltaic installers, a relatively new trade, saw the greatest wage gains of all. Read more.
