Construction and Extraction

Highway Maintenance Workers

15/100
#499 of 825
$50,260
median pay, U.S.
154,960
employed (2024)
+3.0%
growth, 2024–34
12,300
openings per year
High school diploma or equivalent
typical entry education

Is highway maintenance workers a good career?

It scores 15/100 and ranks #499 of 825 occupations on pay, growth, employment and openings. Here's what the federal data says, with no editorializing.

Advantages

  • No college degree typically required to enter

Possible tradeoffs

  • Pays below the U.S. median wage ($50,260 vs $61,390)

What highway maintenance workers earn

Wages: BLS OEWS May 2025

Pay is a range, not a number. Half of U.S. highway maintenance workers earn between $43,500 and $61,040 a year.

Best-paying states

Oregon statewide
$65,330
Washington statewide
$65,300
Connecticut statewide
$64,870
Minnesota statewide
$63,150
Illinois statewide
$61,700
Massachusetts statewide
$61,500
Montana statewide
$60,960
North Dakota statewide
$60,630
California statewide
$59,580
Iowa statewide
$58,490
$20k $70k $120k

Best-paying metros

01 San Jose, CA $79,000
02 Vallejo, CA $76,510
03 Chicago, IL $76,220
04 Seattle, WA $75,030
05 Kankakee, IL $73,080
06 Bremerton, WA $72,910
07 Springfield, IL $71,320
08 Olympia, WA $71,140

Strongest employment concentration

01 New York 13,820
02 Pennsylvania 11,140
03 Illinois 10,790
04 California 8,150
05 Texas 6,630
06 Ohio 6,070

Live highway maintenance workers jobs

No live highway maintenance workers openings yet

When the jobs.best ATS feed launches, verified highway maintenance workers openings will appear here — each shown against the $50,260 national median. Nothing here is placeholder.

No placeholder listings · nothing invented

How to become a highway maintenance worker

Typical education
High school diploma or equivalent
Work experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Related occupations

High school diploma or equivalent · $74,690 median
High school diploma or equivalent · $49,450 median
High school diploma or equivalent · $49,880 median
Questions about becoming a highway maintenance worker
How much do highway maintenance workers make?

The national median wage is $50,260 a year, with the middle half earning between $43,500 and $61,040 (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Is highway maintenance workers a good career?

On the Jobs.best index it scores 15 of 100 and ranks #499 of 825 occupations, weighing pay, growth, employment and openings. Employment is projected to change +3.0% through 2034.

What education do you need to become a highway maintenance worker?

The typical entry-level education is high school diploma or equivalent.

Where do highway maintenance workers earn the most?

Among states, Oregon pays the highest median ($65,330). Local pay for every state and metro is below.

U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWages: BLS OEWS May 2025 · Projections: BLS EP 2024–34
Sources: OEWS-M2025 · EP-2024-34. How we score careers →