Construction Laborers in the Manhattan area earn a median of $47,730 a year, 2% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #178 of 391 metros for construction laborer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in St. Joseph and Kansas City, but less in Topeka.
It's one of 4 Kansas metros with published pay for this trade; see construction laborers across Kansas.
Construction Laborer pay in Manhattan at a glance
- Construction laborers in the Manhattan, KS metro earn a median $47,730 a year ($22.95 an hour), #178 of 391 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $35,750 and $59,220.
- After local prices, that median buys what $52,938 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $930 a month, 23% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among construction laborers in Manhattan.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker. The median here works out to about $23 an hour in yearly terms.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for construction laborers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and above average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (3.7%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.4% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 124 one-person site prep & specialty contracting businesses averaging $53,403 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $64/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Manhattan scorecard for construction laborers Our calculation
Grades compare Manhattan 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).
Pay over time
The median pay for construction laborers in the Manhattan area went from $36,210 in 2020 to $47,730 in 2025, up 31.8%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +5.1% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Manhattan Our calculation
Prices in Manhattan run 10% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $52,938 would in a typical place, ranking #127 of 385 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
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.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Manhattan from this pay, local rent and prices.
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.
What the work is like Government data
How often construction laborers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in Kansas Official source
Kansas licenses most trades at the city or county level. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for construction laborers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
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 KS metros for construction laborers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ManhattanKANSAS · KS | $47,730 | $52,938 | 420 |
| LawrenceKANSAS · KS | $47,680 | $52,835 | 280 |
| TopekaKANSAS · KS | $46,070 | $51,869 | 810 |
| WichitaKANSAS · KS | $41,360 | $46,500 | 2,300 |
See every metro in Kansas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Manhattan area's unemployment rate was 3.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction laborers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 3.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Manhattan area is 17 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 5% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 71% drive alone, 0% take transit and 8% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Manhattan area's population grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025 (134,201 → 136,122), ranking #235 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -3,853).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Manhattan
The Manhattan area has about 57,384 homes. 44% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is about as old as most; 20% were built in 2010 or later. 53% of households own their home, and the median home value is $257,600.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Manhattan are up 78% from 2021 to 2025 (278 → 495).
In 2025 the Manhattan area approved permits for 495 new homes (300 single-family), or 3.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #181 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 124 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $53,403 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Manhattan compares among the best cities to start a construction laborer business.
They compete with 31 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 179 workers in total). 68% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
What new hires earn here
People newly hired into construction jobs in the Manhattan area earn about $61,700 a year at the start, compared with $72,800 for all construction workers who've stayed with their employer. By age, construction workers 19 to 24 average about $49,800 a year here, and those 45 to 54 about $85,500. That's for every construction job combined, not just construction laborers, but it shows how much experience is worth here.
Census Quarterly Workforce Indicators, construction (NAICS 23), private employers, 2024 Q4–2025 Q3. Monthly earnings × 12.
Pay on public projects
On federally funded building construction in Riley County, the law (the Davis-Bacon Act) sets a minimum of $13.19 an hour plus $1.85 an hour in benefits (or as cash), $15.04 in all for construction laborers. That base rate is below the local median wage of $22.95. It comes from a Labor Department wage survey, and survey rates can be several years old.
U.S. Department of Labor wage determination KS20260056, 2026, via SAM.gov. Many states set their own prevailing wages for state and city projects.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Manhattan area has had 7 federal major disasters, more than in 70% of metros, mostly severe storms and winter storms. The latest was declared in 2026 (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, And Flooding). After big storms, repair and rebuild work can pull in traveling crews; see what a travel job pays.
FEMA disaster declarations, counties in this metro, fiscal years 2016–2026. COVID-19 declarations are left out.
Traveling here for work
Out-of-town construction laborers on travel jobs here are often paid per diem. The federal rate is $113 a night for lodging plus $68 a day for meals, the standard federal rate (no local rate is set here): about $1,267 a week on top of wages. Compare a travel job here with a local one.
GSA per diem rates, FY2027 (October 2026–September 2027). Employers set their own per diem; many use the GSA rate as a guide.
Working outdoors in Manhattan Government data
In an average year, Manhattan has 58 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 10 at 100°F or more, 130 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 51 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 89°F and winter nights 20°F. That matters for construction laborers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Manhattan Muni Airport, KS station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $47,730 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. 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 Manhattan with another city →
Keep exploring
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ToolBest cities for construction laborersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in ManhattanSee where it falls among local construction laborers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolManhattan budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Manhattan metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Manhattan against every other metro for construction laborers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.