Construction Laborers in the Dayton area earn a median of $53,000 a year, 13% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #97 of 391 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Cincinnati and Columbus, but less in Springfield.
Dayton scorecard for construction laborers Our calculation
Grades compare Dayton 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 Dayton Our calculation
Prices in the Dayton area run 7% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $57,177 would in a typical place, ranking #62 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 OH metros for construction laborers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| SanduskyOHIO · OH | $60,600 | $67,876 | 300 |
| ColumbusOHIO · OH | $60,540 | $63,413 | 5,590 |
| AkronOHIO · OH | $58,830 | $63,007 | 1,830 |
| ClevelandOHIO · OH | $57,180 | $60,880 | 5,660 |
| CincinnatiOHIO · OH | $54,930 | $57,597 | 5,700 |
| CantonOHIO · OH | $53,760 | $60,130 | 1,100 |
| DaytonOHIO · OH | $53,000 | $57,177 | 1,390 |
| LimaOHIO · OH | $51,110 | $56,999 | 230 |
| ToledoOHIO · OH | $50,720 | $55,459 | 1,520 |
| SpringfieldOHIO · OH | $50,070 | $55,337 | 160 |
See every metro in Ohio.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Dayton 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 5.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Dayton area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 9% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 78% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Dayton are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (2,039 → 1,986).
In 2025 the Dayton area approved permits for 1,986 new homes (1,309 single-family), or 2.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #264 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,221 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $72,675 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 110 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 826 workers in total). 59% 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 $53,000 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 Dayton 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.