Construction Laborers in the Lakeland area earn a median of $39,470 a year, 16% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #310 of 391 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Orlando and Sebring.
Lakeland scorecard for construction laborers Our calculation
Grades compare Lakeland with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($46,850).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Lakeland Our calculation
Prices in Lakeland run 3% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $40,632 would in a typical place, ranking #363 of 385 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What construction laborers do
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites. May operate hand and power tools of all types: air hammers, earth tampers, cement mixers, small mechanical hoists, surveying and measuring equipment, and a variety of other equipment and instruments. May clean and prepare sites, dig trenches, set braces to support the sides of excavations, erect scaffolding, and clean up rubble, debris, and other waste materials. May assist other craft workers.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Tend pumps, compressors, or generators to provide power for tools, machinery, or equipment or to heat or move materials, such as asphalt.
- Lubricate, clean, or repair machinery, equipment, or tools.
- Signal equipment operators to facilitate alignment, movement, or adjustment of machinery, equipment, or materials.
- Read plans, instructions, or specifications to determine work activities.
- Measure, mark, or record openings or distances to layout areas where construction work will be performed.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, construction laborer jobs are projected to grow 7.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 120,000 openings a year. About 27% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, construction laborers have 218 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 2.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying FL metros for construction laborers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NaplesFLORIDA · FL | $46,040 | $44,612 | 2,340 |
| MiamiFLORIDA · FL | $45,520 | $39,876 | 18,280 |
| Punta GordaFLORIDA · FL | $45,520 | $45,282 | 810 |
| North PortFLORIDA · FL | $45,390 | $44,319 | 4,260 |
| CrestviewFLORIDA · FL | $45,180 | $46,562 | 1,000 |
| SebastianFLORIDA · FL | $45,080 | $45,856 | 480 |
| Palm BayFLORIDA · FL | $44,720 | $44,718 | 1,870 |
| TampaFLORIDA · FL | $43,750 | $43,364 | 12,860 |
| DeltonaFLORIDA · FL | $43,710 | $43,988 | 2,050 |
| JacksonvilleFLORIDA · FL | $43,480 | $43,706 | 7,150 |
See every metro in Florida.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Lakeland area's unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction laborers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.4% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Lakeland area is 31 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 24% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 73% drive alone, 0% take transit and 12% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Lakeland are down 37% from 2021 to 2025 (13,071 → 8,236).
In 2025 the Lakeland area approved permits for 8,236 new homes (6,725 single-family), or 10.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #26 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,704 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $70,822 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 190 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 1,392 workers in total). 70% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $39,470 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get construction laborer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Lakeland with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.