How much do construction laborers make in Missouri in 2026?

The median construction laborer in Missouri earns $56,730 a year, which works out to about $27.27 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's a useful anchor, but the spread around that number tells the real story about what this trade pays across different experience levels and work situations.

At the 25th percentile, laborers in Missouri take home $45,610 annually — roughly $21.93 an hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade, still building their skill set, or working for smaller residential contractors where wages run leaner. Breaking into the trade at this pay is realistic, and it's enough to get started, but it's not where most workers want to stay.

The 75th percentile sits at $77,580 a year, or about $37.30 an hour. That's a substantial jump — more than $31,000 more per year than the 25th percentile. Laborers at this level have usually put in years on the job, picked up specialized skills like pipeline work, concrete finishing, hazardous materials handling, or equipment operation, and are working for larger general contractors or on commercial and infrastructure projects where pay scales run higher.

Geography matters inside Missouri. The St. Louis metro and Kansas City metro both draw large commercial and infrastructure projects — highway expansions, stadium work, utility upgrades, and institutional construction. Laborers working those markets consistently see higher wages than counterparts doing residential work in rural parts of the state. Springfield and the surrounding Ozarks region falls somewhere in the middle, with a mix of light commercial and industrial work. If you're willing to commute to or live near a major metro, the wage difference can easily push you from the lower half of the range toward the upper percentiles.

Overtime is a real factor for laborers. Construction schedules push hard when weather cooperates, and a laborer logging 10 to 15 hours of overtime per week during a busy stretch can see their effective annual earnings climb well above the median. The BLS figures above are based on straight-time base wages and may not fully reflect total earnings for workers who regularly pull overtime hours during peak season.

Specialization is one of the fastest ways to move up the pay scale. Laborers who get certified in asbestos or lead abatement, complete OSHA 30, earn their flagger certification, or cross-train on skid steers and other light equipment become more valuable to contractors and can command higher hourly rates. Some contractors specifically seek out laborers with confined space entry training or scaffold safety certifications for industrial and plant maintenance work, which tends to pay above standard commercial construction rates.

The path into the trade is relatively open — no state license is required to work as a construction laborer in Missouri, though individual job sites and employers will have their own safety training requirements. Some workers enter through apprenticeship or pre-apprenticeship programs that provide structured on-the-job training and a progression of wage increases tied to hours worked. Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

Physical demands are high. Laborers do the heavy lifting, site cleanup, concrete work, demolition, material handling, and whatever else a project needs. Experience and reliability go a long way — contractors keep their best laborers busy year-round and pass them over for layoffs when work slows. Showing up consistently, working safely, and being willing to take on a range of tasks is the clearest path to staying at the top of the call list and moving toward the wages at the 75th percentile.

All figures on this page come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. They represent wages for workers in the "Construction Laborers" occupational category across Missouri.