Labor Benchmarks
Cost Estimator Median Wage Update for May 2025
A careful update from the May 2024 occupational median to the May 2025 OEWS release.
By HireConstructionEstimator Editorial Team | Published August 19, 2026
5 primary + 14 reader context sources | Verified August 19, 2026
Cost Estimator Median Wage Update for May 2025
Key stats
The May 2025 median hourly wage was $37.86, equivalent to about $78,749 at 2,080 hours.
Contents
Key takeaways
- The May 2024 Occupational Outlook Handbook median was $77,070 annually, or $37.05 hourly.
- The $0.81 hourly difference was about 2.2 percent relative to May 2024.
- This two-point comparison is not a negotiated raise, inflation adjustment, forecast, or guaranteed market movement.
Align the benchmarks
The handbook reports $77,070 annually and $37.05 hourly for May 2024. The May 2025 table reports a $37.86 hourly median.
The difference is $0.81, or about 2.2 percent. Annualizing the new hourly figure gives roughly $78,749.
Treat the values as survey snapshots
OEWS publishes reference-period estimates, not a pay path for a fixed group. Respondents, employment composition, geography, industry mix, and estimation can affect comparisons.
The movement supports benchmark maintenance but does not establish what a person received or what a candidate will accept.
Update the whole record
Retain the source, occupation code, month, geography, ownership scope, and exclusions with each benchmark.
Keep salary, benefits, employer burden, productive hours, and client rates in separate fields so the comparison remains auditable.
Key data table
Use this table as a review aid. The headline statistic is sourced directly; the interpretation rows explain how to apply it without treating a market benchmark as a project quote.
| Data point | What it says | Estimator control |
|---|---|---|
| Primary statistic | The May 2025 median hourly wage was $37.86, equivalent to about $78,749 at 2,080 hours. | Source 1. Validate the project basis. |
| Interpretation 1 | The May 2024 Occupational Outlook Handbook median was $77,070 annually, or $37.05 hourly. | Source 1. Validate the project basis. |
| Interpretation 2 | The $0.81 hourly difference was about 2.2 percent relative to May 2024. | Source 1. Validate the project basis. |
What the data can and cannot do
Public labor, spending, productivity, and price series provide a common baseline. They can reveal direction, scale, and unusual movement. They cannot identify the exact labor crew, subcontractor coverage, waste factor, access constraint, or escalation risk on a specific project.
A responsible estimate keeps the public benchmark separate from local bid history. Record the source date, geography, units, seasonal treatment, and any conversion before using the number in an estimate review.
How estimators should use it
- Date every benchmark and replace it as a complete vintage rather than blending new and old fields.
- Compare the national update with local compensation, postings, and recruiting outcomes before revising an internal band.
Add a source note beside every adjusted rate. If the benchmark and recent quotes disagree, do not average them automatically. Investigate geography, scope, timing, units, and market segment first.
Data sources and methodology
The primary statistic is transcribed from the source identified in the source notes below. The additional links are a consistent reader reference set for broader labor, construction volume, productivity, and regional context. They do not support or alter the headline figure and are not presented as article-specific evidence.
- OEWS estimates describe wage and salary workers and exclude self-employed workers. The cost estimator occupation spans construction, manufacturing, and services.
- Survey estimates are subject to sampling and nonsampling error. Rounded values support only the displayed precision.
- Employment projections and OEWS estimates have different reference periods. Ratios joining them are editorial planning calculations, not BLS forecast rates.
Conservative convention: retain the published unit and date, avoid false precision, and treat national or sector data as a planning signal until local project evidence confirms it.
Frequently asked questions
Can this statistic set a project unit rate?
No. It can challenge or frame an assumption, but a project rate still needs current scope, geography, crew, productivity, supplier, and subcontractor evidence.
How often should the source be checked?
Check the primary release before a major estimate update and record the release or access date in the estimate notes.
Why are reader context sources included?
They give readers a consistent path to broader official construction and labor series. They are not evidence for the headline statistic and do not replace or alter its primary source.
Conclusion
The May 2025 median hourly wage was $37.86, equivalent to about $78,749 at 2,080 hours. Use the figure as a documented benchmark, preserve the source date and units, and require project-specific evidence before changing a bid assumption. Review our construction estimating process for the control sequence. If you need production capacity around that review process, see our construction estimator VA service.