Construction Laborers salary in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Construction Laborers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Pennsylvania tax rules.
The figures
The median Construction Laborers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area earns $55,120 a year ($26.50 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn between $46,660 and $71,480 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $38,390 or less and the top 10 percent earn $83,200 or more. BLS estimates 14,580 Construction Laborers jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area — 5.031 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.71 (well below the national concentration). That is 1.3% of all Construction Laborers employment in the United States (1,096,780 jobs nationally). By employment, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD is the #11 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Construction Laborers. In aggregate, Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn about $0.86 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $47,729.06 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD Construction Laborers is about $0.70 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #12 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Construction Laborers. By employment, Construction Laborers is the #29 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Placed against the national distribution for Construction Laborers, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $55,120 falls between the national median ($47,120) and the national 75th percentile ($59,740). Across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median is $54,310 a year — Construction Laborers pay is 1.5% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $28.34 | $58,940 |
| 10th percentile | $18.46 | $38,390 |
| 25th percentile | $22.43 | $46,660 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $26.50 | $55,120 |
| 75th percentile | $34.37 | $71,480 |
| 90th percentile | $40.00 | $83,200 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD earn 2.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($83,200 against $38,390). The middle half spans $24,820 — from $46,660 to $71,480. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($40.00) is 2.17 times the 10th ($18.46). In the upper half of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $71,480 takes home $56,921.82 and the 90th percentile wage of $83,200 takes home $64,807.08 — $7,885.26 more net for $11,720 more gross. Against the median take-home of $44,776.94, the top decile keeps 1.45 times as much. The mean wage of $58,940 sits 6.9% above the median: higher-paid Construction Laborers pull the average up in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD. Among the 30 covered occupations in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD, Construction Laborers ranks #11 by median pay. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage ladder of covered occupations, Construction Laborers sits between Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers at $59,370 and Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks at $52,710. Construction Laborers accounts for 0.5% of all employment in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area. The average covered metro employs 17,175 Construction Laborers; Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD employs 0.8 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Pennsylvania
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Pennsylvania; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $55,120.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $4,434.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,417.44 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $799.24 |
| Pennsylvania income tax | $1,692.18 |
| Total deductions | $10,343.06 |
| Net pay (annual) | $44,776.94 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,722.19 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.76% of gross |
At the median, $44,776.94 of the $55,120 gross is kept ($1,722.19 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.76%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.04% at the 10th percentile, 18.05% at the 25th percentile, 20.37% at the 75th percentile, 22.11% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $18,682.96 on a gross rise of $24,820.
The same engine at the other published points of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($38,390) | $31,847.62 | $1,224.91 | 17.04% |
| 25th percentile ($46,660) | $38,238.86 | $1,470.73 | 18.05% |
| Median ($55,120) | $44,776.94 | $1,722.19 | 18.76% |
| 75th percentile ($71,480) | $56,921.82 | $2,189.30 | 20.37% |
| 90th percentile ($83,200) | $64,807.08 | $2,492.58 | 22.11% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $31,847.62 a year at the 10th percentile to $64,807.08 at the 90th — a spread of $32,959.46 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median wage of $54,310 takes home $44,150.50 a year ($1,698.10 per paycheck, deduction rate 18.71%). The Construction Laborers median take-home of $44,776.94 sits $626.44 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD also covers parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland. The take-home estimate above uses Pennsylvania rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland paycheck calculators.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Construction Laborers earns $47,120 a year ($22.66 an hour). The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $55,120 is $8,000 (17.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $58,940 a year in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD against $52,030 nationally, a gap of $6,910 (13.3%).
Set against the whole local market, the Construction Laborers 90th percentile of $83,200 is 64% of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,280), and its 10th percentile of $38,390 is 123% of the area-wide 10th ($31,200).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $55,120 | $26.50 | $58,940 |
| United States | $47,120 | $22.66 | $52,030 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$55,120 a year ($26.50 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $58,940 a year. Ranked by median pay, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD stands #12 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $55,120 in Pennsylvania?
About $44,776.94 a year ($1,722.19 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.76% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $71,480, take-home is $56,921.82.
How does pay in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD compare with the national median for Construction Laborers?
The Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD median of $55,120 is $8,000 (17.0%) above the national median of $47,120 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $83,200, against a national 90th percentile of $78,090.
How much do the top 10% of Construction Laborers earn in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
$83,200 a year or more ($40.00 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
On $83,200 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $64,807.08 a year ($2,492.58 per biweekly paycheck) in Pennsylvania under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 22.11%.
How many Construction Laborers jobs are there in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
BLS estimates 14,580 Construction Laborers jobs in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area — 5.031 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Construction Laborers jobs in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
The location quotient is 0.71 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
From $31,847.62 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($38,390) to $64,807.08 at the 90th ($83,200), under the same single-filer assumptions in Pennsylvania.
What is the total wage bill for Construction Laborers in Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD?
About $0.86 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 14,580 multiplied by the mean wage of $58,940.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.