What construction jobs pay the most in New York City?

By BLS's 2025 average annual wage for the New York metro area: construction managers ($162,800), elevator and escalator installers ($134,710), structural iron and steel workers ($101,920).

How do you start a union construction career in NYC?

The usual route into a unionized trade is the union's own registered apprenticeship program rather than a job posting. Each career page here links the union for that trade where one is listed, and New York State's Department of Labor keeps the full directory of registered apprenticeships.

What is prevailing wage on NYC construction jobs?

The minimum a worker in a given trade must be paid on a New York City public-work contract, set by the NYC Comptroller's schedule (published Jan 19, 2026). It is an hourly wage plus a separate hourly supplement for benefits such as health, pension and annuity funds — a legal floor on public work, not an average of what the trade earns everywhere.

Where can I find construction job openings in NYC?

The City's own civil-service openings are listed on the Jobs page here, live from NYC Jobs. Private contractors and developers post openings on their own sites and on general job boards; there is no public dataset of private construction job listings.

Careers · Pay, unions & openings

Construction Careers in New York City

Across the 12 construction career paths here, average pay in the New York metro area runs from $67,440 a year for construction laborers to $162,800 for construction managers, according to BLS's 2025 wage survey — 6 of them above the $86,310 average for all occupations. The City of New York has 300+ construction-related civil-service postings open right now.

Top average pay (Construction Manager): $162,800
All-occupations average: $86,310
Paths paying above it: 6
Open city postings: 300+

Career Paths by Trade

Pay, the public-work rate, the union and open city jobs for each trade. Sorted by average annual pay.

Average Annual Pay by Trade

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025. The all-occupations average is $86,310.

050K100K150K200K

average annual wage, 2025

Three Ways In

Apprenticeship

Through a union

The building-trades unions train through registered apprenticeships. Each trade page links its union where one is listed (verified Aug 7, 2026).

NYS registered apprenticeships →

Civil service

With the City

Engineers, inspectors, electricians and other building-trades titles at City agencies — 300+ related postings open now.

Open city construction jobs →

Private sector

With a contractor

Contractors post their own openings. Trade pages list the busiest firms in each trade by DOB permits — a measure of activity, not a list of who is hiring.

Latest City Postings

Assistant Civil EngineerDept Of Environment Protection · posted 2026-09-06
DIRECTOR OF WORKPLACE SERVICESDept Of Environment Protection · posted 2026-09-05
Facility ManagerDept Of Environment Protection · posted 2026-09-05
ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGERDept Of Environment Protection · posted 2026-09-04
ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGERDept Of Environment Protection · posted 2026-09-04
ASSISTANT PROJECT MANAGERDept Of Environment Protection · posted 2026-09-04

All open postings →

Common Questions

What construction jobs pay the most in New York City?: By BLS's 2025 average annual wage for the New York metro area: construction managers ($162,800), elevator and escalator installers ($134,710), structural iron and steel workers ($101,920).
How do you start a union construction career in NYC?: The usual route into a unionized trade is the union's own registered apprenticeship program rather than a job posting. Each career page here links the union for that trade where one is listed, and New York State's Department of Labor keeps the full directory of registered apprenticeships.
What is prevailing wage on NYC construction jobs?: The minimum a worker in a given trade must be paid on a New York City public-work contract, set by the NYC Comptroller's schedule (published Jan 19, 2026). It is an hourly wage plus a separate hourly supplement for benefits such as health, pension and annuity funds — a legal floor on public work, not an average of what the trade earns everywhere.
Where can I find construction job openings in NYC?: The City's own civil-service openings are listed on the Jobs page here, live from NYC Jobs. Private contractors and developers post openings on their own sites and on general job boards; there is no public dataset of private construction job listings.

Sources

Average and median pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA Metro Area, 2025 (bls.gov). Public-work rates: the NYC Comptroller's construction prevailing wage schedule (PDF). Unions: each union's own site, verified Aug 7, 2026. Open postings: NYC Jobs, live, external postings only, matched to a trade by job title — related roles such as inspectors are included. Occupation summaries are general descriptions of the work, not statements about NYC hiring or entry requirements.