After a slow stretch in 2025, the U.S. construction market is back in growth mode in 2026, fueled by infrastructure spending and new manufacturing work. Total construction employment topped 8.34 million by mid-2026, a record high, but what workers can actually buy with their pay still depends heavily on local living costs.
That gap is the focus of a new analysis from Construction Coverage, which combined wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with regional price information from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. By adjusting wages for cost of living across all 50 states and more than 350 metro areas, the report aims to show where construction workers have the most purchasing power, and where high prices eat into nominal pay.
The analysis notes that construction employment fell sharply during the pandemic, dropping to 6.5 million in April 2020, then rebounded as demand rose for housing, infrastructure projects, and manufacturing sites. Nationally, full- and part-time construction workers earn a median of $59,540 per year, about 17 percent higher than the overall median wage of $50,980 across all occupations.
On a cost-adjusted basis, the report says Illinois ranks No. 1 for construction pay at $80,604. Other Midwestern states also place high on the list, including Minnesota, North Dakota, Missouri, and Iowa. By contrast, several Southern states sit near the bottom when wages are adjusted for cost of living, including Florida, Texas, and Georgia.
For Wyoming, the analysis puts the cost-adjusted median annual wage for construction workers at $64,461. For mason contractors competing for brick, block, and stone talent, that kind of purchasing-power data can be a useful reality check when comparing markets, planning staffing, and thinking through what it takes to keep crews steady as work ramps up.
Read the full, original article from WyomingNews.com here.