Construction Laborers in the Reading area earn a median of $48,800 a year, 4% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #150 of 391 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Allentown and Philadelphia, but less in Lebanon.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for construction laborers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.4%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+2.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 683 one-person site prep & specialty contracting businesses averaging $91,788 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $65/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Reading scorecard for construction laborers Our calculation
Grades compare Reading 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 Reading area went from $43,410 in 2020 to $48,800 in 2025, up 12.4%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -10.3% — a real pay cut.
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 Reading Our calculation
Prices in the Reading area run 3% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $50,278 would in a typical place, ranking #192 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.
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 Pennsylvania Official source
The main state licensing office in Pennsylvania is the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General. Home improvement contractors register with the state; most trades are licensed locally. It can point you to the right license for construction laborers.
Official Pennsylvania licensing site ↗
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 PA metros for construction laborers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhiladelphiaPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $55,120 | $53,747 | 14,580 |
| State CollegePENNSYLVANIA · PA | $53,420 | $55,208 | 620 |
| PittsburghPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $50,600 | $53,448 | 8,620 |
| HarrisburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $49,670 | $50,350 | 1,370 |
| YorkPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $49,350 | $51,406 | 1,250 |
| AllentownPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $49,290 | $49,306 | 1,670 |
| ReadingPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $48,800 | $50,278 | 990 |
| LancasterPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $48,670 | $49,533 | 2,270 |
| ScrantonPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $48,290 | $51,616 | 1,450 |
| GettysburgPENNSYLVANIA · PA | $48,010 | $50,336 | 240 |
See every metro in Pennsylvania.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Reading area's unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just construction laborers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Reading area is 26 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 16% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 72% drive alone, 1% take transit and 10% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Reading area's population grew 2.7% from 2020 to 2025 (428,651 → 440,072), ranking #187 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +10,765) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Reading
The Reading area has about 172,255 homes. 64% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 5% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $281,100.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Reading are up 18% from 2021 to 2025 (493 → 582).
In 2025 the Reading area approved permits for 582 new homes (335 single-family), or 1.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #342 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 683 one-person businesses (no employees) in site prep & specialty contracting, averaging $91,788 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 109 site prep & specialty contracting companies that have employees (about 1,089 workers in total). 63% 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 $48,800 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Reading with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- 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.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, 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.