Road Construction Worker Salary in Virginia

$21/hr

Virginia laborer wages help you assess road-crew offers alongside paid travel, shift schedules and public-project wage requirements.

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What Road Construction Workers Earn in Virginia

Virginia construction laborer employee wages span $15.82–$27.46/hr, or $32,900–$57,110 a year. This occupation includes highway and street labor alongside other construction work. Equipment operators and truck drivers have separate wage benchmarks. The bands below help organize offers, while registered apprentices follow their program's wage schedule. Ask which paving, grading or site-support duties an offer covers. Separate the regular hourly range from overtime, shift additions and employer benefits.

Hourly rates by level in Virginia

What each rung of the trade is paid, before overtime and per diem.

Apprentice · 0–2 yrs
$15.82–$17.80/hr
▲ 8.33% from last year
Journeyman · 4–8 yrs
$17.80–$22.86/hr
▲ 8.33% from last year
Master · 8+ yrs
$22.86–$27.46/hr
▲ 8.33% from last year

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Where do you stand?

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$/ hr

Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.

You're right around the middle

$28.00 is above roughly 46% of this market. The top quarter starts at $36.00, and the median sits at $29.00.

10th
$18
25th
$23
Median
$29
75th
$36
90th
$45
YOU · $28.00
Your percentile
46th
Among this market
Your annual · 40 hrs
$58,240
Before overtime and per diem
Gap to median
−$2,080
Below the median

Calculate pay with extra credentials

Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.

1Your level

2Certifications you hold

3Shift & work type

4Overtime & per diem

Weekly overtime hours8 hrs
Per diem (per day away)$0

An estimate, not an offer. Overtime is paid at time and a half past forty hours.

American RecruitsEstimate
Journeyman Road Construction Worker
Virginia · Day Shift
Base rate$20.33
+ West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund / LIUNA Local 980 Apprenticeship (journeyperson)$0.52
+ OSHA 30-Hour Construction$0.65
+ ATSSA Flagger Certification (accepted by VDOT)$0.11
Effective hourly$21.61
Straight · 40 hrs$864
Overtime · 8 hrs @ 1.5×$259
Weekly gross$1,124
Annualised · 50 weeks
$56,186
8 OT hrs/week · Virginia

Who pays the most in Virginia

Road projects, specialist ground work and commercial building sites employ laborers in different settings. These national figures describe broader industries employing laborers beyond road crews.

01 / 03$24.08/hr

Highway, Street and Bridge Construction

Paving and bridge rehabilitation put crews beside moving traffic. Ask how lane-closure schedules affect shift length and notice between assignments. On VDOT work, discuss whether your duties include flagging and which accepted credential the employer requires.

+ Road experience
+ Crew coordination
– Traffic exposure
– Weather delays
02 / 03$22.79/hr

Other Specialty Trade Contractors

Site preparation firms handle clearing, excavation and grading before road surfaces go down. Discuss worksite moves and the tools you will handle. Distinguish hand grading and cleanup from operating the machines that cut, move or compact material.

+ Groundwork skills
+ Varied projects
– Changing sites
– Excavation hazards
03 / 03$24.01/hr

Nonresidential Building Construction

Commercial building crews need site labor around foundations and access areas. Ask how much of your assignment involves exterior ground work. For a move into highway work, discuss training for traffic exposure and the contractor's road-crew routines.

+ Building experience
+ Broader tasks
– Trade congestion
– Shifting assignments

Which states pay road construction workers the most

Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.

  1. 01California$28.98/hr
  2. 02Virginiathis page$20.94/hr

What each certification is worth

Sorted by payback speed.

CertificationRate bumpExtra / yearCostPayback
West Virginia Laborers' Training Trust Fund / LIUNA Local 980 Apprenticeship (journeyperson)+$0.52$1,082$00 weeks
OSHA 30-Hour Construction+$0.65$1,352$1597 weeks
OSHA 10-Hour Construction+$0.22$458$597 weeks
ATSSA Flagger Certification (accepted by VDOT)+$0.11$229$10023 weeks
VDOT Basic Work Zone Traffic Control (WZTC) Certification+$0.17$354$23535 weeks
OSHA Silica in Construction (29 CFR 1926.1153) Training+$0.02$42$3038 weeks

What overtime actually adds

Past forty hours the rate is time and a half. Built from the rate above. At $20.94/hr.

40 hr week
$838
No OT
50 hr week
$1,152
+$15,705/yr
60 hr week
$1,466
+$31,410/yr
70 hr week
$1,780
+$47,115/yr

Questions workers ask

Does the statewide wage range set my VDOT project pay?▾
No. Covered federal-aid work uses the contract's wage determination and the classification for duties performed. Ask payroll for the basic wage, required fringe benefits and recorded classification. State-funded public contracts have separate prevailing-wage coverage rules.
What is the lowest legal hourly pay for road work in Virginia?▾
$12.77 an hour in 2026. Under Va. Code § 40.1-28.10, Virginia's minimum wage rises to $13.75 on January 1, 2027, and $15.00 on January 1, 2028. Federal-aid VDOT contracts may require higher wage-determination rates.
Can my contractor pay me an apprentice rate on a federal-aid VDOT job?▾
Yes, if you are registered in a Virginia Works apprenticeship program and the crew stays within the program's approved ratio. Otherwise, the wage determination's rate for the work you perform applies. Ask payroll to show your registration.

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Current BLS Virginia employee wages for Construction Laborers, SOC 47-2061; includes highway and street labor. Employee wages exclude premium pay and benefits.

Last updated October 26, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.