Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other
All construction trades helpers not listed separately.
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What the data says: Jobs are projected to shrink 1.0% by 2035. Its tasks haven't been rated for what AI could do. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 11.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 85% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $45,860 | $31,660 to $57,140 | 90 |
| Arizona | $47,830 | $37,370 to $49,270 | 790 |
| Arkansas | $37,440 | $30,630 to $44,320 | 160 |
| California | $48,430 | $43,860 to $57,060 | 2,990 |
| Colorado | $47,030 | $46,900 to $48,650 | 310 |
| Connecticut | $37,990 | $37,300 to $40,100 | 170 |
| Florida | $39,500 | $36,190 to $46,820 | 2,280 |
| Georgia | $39,890 | $35,190 to $50,180 | 1,320 |
| Hawaii | $30,900 | $29,880 to $51,260 | 190 |
| Idaho | $39,240 | $37,440 to $45,200 | 90 |
| Illinois | $49,880 | $41,160 to $55,380 | 160 |
| Indiana | $43,860 | $37,650 to $47,860 | 170 |
| Iowa | $48,430 | $41,050 to $49,930 | 230 |
| Kansas | $31,710 | $20,700 to $34,580 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $43,680 | $38,190 to $48,790 | 50 |
| Louisiana | $39,960 | $35,230 to $46,700 | 2,190 |
| Maryland | $44,360 | $39,120 to $51,310 | 1,480 |
| Massachusetts | $44,720 | $42,670 to $49,920 | 120 |
| Michigan | $39,840 | $35,030 to $52,840 | 320 |
| Mississippi | $38,300 | $32,710 to $43,800 | 130 |
| Missouri | $51,630 | $46,050 to $63,230 | not published |
| Montana | $38,550 | $31,190 to $47,780 | 130 |
| Nebraska | $35,470 | $34,520 to $52,630 | 50 |
| Nevada | $37,440 | $35,450 to $45,160 | 350 |
| New Jersey | $41,080 | $39,680 to $55,550 | 420 |
| New Mexico | $37,280 | $37,090 to $38,370 | 510 |
| New York | $54,480 | $46,970 to $80,540 | 1,190 |
| North Carolina | $38,480 | $34,890 to $43,740 | 550 |
| Ohio | $44,870 | $39,360 to $56,780 | 430 |
| Oklahoma | $35,830 | $33,280 to $42,880 | 150 |
| Oregon | $41,410 | $36,210 to $48,110 | 270 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,210 | $33,030 to $43,170 | 470 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,910 | $22,400 to $23,760 | 740 |
| South Carolina | $37,990 | $35,970 to $44,300 | 290 |
| Tennessee | $37,730 | $34,860 to $42,470 | 310 |
| Texas | $40,610 | $36,800 to $46,880 | 5,060 |
| Utah | $28,120 | $28,080 to $44,550 | 180 |
| Vermont | $46,090 | $43,860 to $48,640 | 70 |
| Virginia | $42,310 | $37,830 to $46,910 | 550 |
| Washington | $61,750 | $50,140 to $68,870 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $46,580 | $34,520 to $49,350 | 100 |
Nationally: $42,670. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for helpers, construction trades, all other specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 2,157 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 5%
- 4 Construction Managers High +9.1% 3%
- 5 Carpenters Low +3.9% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 3,394 moves in
- 1 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners Low +2.2% 7%
- 2 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 3 First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers Moderate +5.0% 5%
- 4 Travel Agents Very high +0.2% 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 30% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 17% some college
- 1% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades” · 300 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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