SalaryExplorer

SOC 47-2061 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Construction Laborers — Wausau

Wausau, WI · 10 metro areas compared

$52,620 /year
$25.30per hour
510jobs in area
+11.7%vs US median

The median wage for Construction Laborers in Wausau, WI is $52,620 per year, 11.7% above the national median of $47,120.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $47,12010TH$38,91025TH$45,900MEDIAN$52,62075TH$62,40090TH$79,060

How pay has moved

$55,378$38,8332019202020212022202320242025$52,620
$41,590 in 2019 to $52,620 in 2025, +26.5% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+7.3%
Openings per year
129,400
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

26.9% of people in this occupation work for themselves.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Wausau, WI.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Construction Laborers in Wausau, WI is $52,620 per year, 11.7% above the national median of $47,120. Pay ranges from under $38,910 at the tenth percentile to more than $79,060 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $45,900 to $62,400.

The area has 510 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 7.4 of every thousand jobs. Appleton leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $59,260. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 147th of 268 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Wausau, WI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$38,910−17.4%
25th$45,900−2.6%
Median (50th)$52,620+11.7%
75th$62,400+32.4%
90th$79,060+67.8%
Mean$55,850+18.5%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Wisconsin

Median annual wage for Construction Laborers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Appleton$59,2601,030
2La Crosse$58,900610
3Eau Claire$58,240640
4Milwaukee$57,4304,740
5Madison$57,0002,370
6Sheboygan$56,440310
7Fond du Lac$56,200420
8Janesville$55,690480
9Green Bay$54,8901,160
10Racine$54,300540

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Wausau run 7.3% below the national average, so the median of $52,620 goes as far as $56,764 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 20.5% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$52,620as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$56,764US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $52,620 a year, 11.7% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $38,910 to $79,060 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 510 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Appleton, at $59,260.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Construction Laborers in Wausau, WI?

The median annual wage is $52,620, or $25.30 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $47,120, so pay in Wausau, WI is 11.7% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Wausau, WI earns more than $79,060 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $38,910 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Appleton, at $59,260 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 510 jobs in this occupation in Wausau, WI. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Construction Laborers Salary in Wausau, WI (2025): $52,620 Median | Salary Explorer