Highway Maintenance Workers
Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement and repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road, or plow snow from roadway.
How to read this profile
BLS projects U.S. employment for Highway Maintenance Workers to increase by 3.4% between 2024 and 2034, from 161,800 to 167,300 jobs. Its estimate of 11,800 annual openings includes replacement needs, so it does not represent current vacancies, contract postings, or freelance demand. The wage ($50,260), education (High school diploma or equivalent), and related experience (None) figures on this profile describe typical U.S. employees. O*NET skills describe the occupation; they do not assess an individual worker's proficiency.
Base employment (2024)
161,800
Projected employment (2034)
167,300
Projected change (2024–2034)
3%
Annual openings (projected average)
11,800
Pay & Preparation
$50,260
High school diploma or equivalent
None
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Essential Skills
Operation and Control (3.62/5) • Operations Monitoring (3.5/5) • Monitoring (3.12/5) • Coordination (3.12/5) • Active Listening (3/5) • Complex Problem Solving (3/5)
O*NET describes occupational requirements; these ratings do not measure current job-posting frequency or an individual worker’s proficiency.
BLS projections are long-term estimates; annual openings include growth and replacement needs and are not current vacancies.
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