Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway. Excludes “Tree Trimmers and Pruners” (37-3013).
National median · BLS
$50,260
▲ +2.43%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$53,080
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
154,960
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Highway Maintenance Workers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$36,230
25th
$43,500
Median (50th)
$50,260
75th
$61,040
90th — top pay
$71,970
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Highway Maintenance Workers
BLS projects employment of highway maintenance workers to grow 3.4% from 2025 to 2035, about the same as the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 11,800 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
161,800 → 167,300
+5,500 jobs
Projected change
+3.4%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
11,800
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035
Highway Maintenance Workers salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Highway Maintenance Workers salaries by metro area
Search by city, ZIP code or metro name. Tap a metro for its full range.
Metro area
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Highway Maintenance Workers
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Operation and Control3.6
Operations Monitoring3.5
Coordination3.1
Monitoring3.1
Active Listening3.0
Complex Problem Solving3.0
Speaking3.0
Critical Thinking2.9
Judgment and Decision Making2.9
Quality Control Analysis2.9
Top knowledge areas
Public Safety and Security4.2
English Language3.5
Transportation3.3
Building and Construction3.2
Education and Training3.0
Administration and Management3.0
Mechanical3.0
Customer and Personal Service3.0
Software and technology used
Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft WordDatabase softwareWeb browser software
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What highway maintenance workers do
Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Highway Maintenance Workers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $50,260.
