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Highway Maintenance Workers in Washington

Thinking about a career as a Highway Maintenance Workers in Washington? Here’s what you need to know. 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. Excludes “Tree Trimmers and Pruners” (37-3013).

What do Highway Maintenance Workers Make in Washington?

For a highway maintenance workers working in Washington, wages run about $63,420 per year (or about $30.49/hour).Pay can range from $53,950 at the 10th percentile to $77,870 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$53,950	$25.94
25th percentile	$59,650	$28.68
Median (50th)	$63,420	$30.49
75th percentile	$70,200	$33.75
90th percentile	$77,870	$37.44

The location quotient — a measure of how concentrated this occupation is in Washington nationwide is 0.75, indicating fewer highway maintenance workers per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, highway maintenance workers earn a median of $48,880 per year ($23.50/hour), higher than the Washington median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 108,425 highway maintenance workers in the U.S.. In Washington alone, approximately 2,620 people work in this role. That’s more than the typical state, which employs around 2,110 highway maintenance workers.

Top Washington Metros for Highway Maintenance Workers

These are the Washington metros with the most highway maintenance workers in Washington.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	770	$68,810
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	260	$61,820
Yakima, WA	130	$60,910
Bellingham, WA	110	$61,050
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	100	$69,060
Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA	90	$69,060
Wenatchee-East Wenatchee, WA	90	$61,050
Kennewick-Richland, WA	80	$64,330
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	70	$63,550
Walla Walla, WA	40	$61,050

Top States for Highway Maintenance Workers Employment

The table below shows the states where the most highway maintenance workers work.

State	Number Employed
New York	14,200
Pennsylvania	11,210
Illinois	11,050
California	7,770
Texas	6,950
Ohio	6,600
New Jersey	5,780
Wisconsin	5,530
Missouri	5,300
Iowa	4,400
Michigan	4,060
Minnesota	3,860
Indiana	3,850
Mississippi	3,850
North Carolina	3,770
Virginia	3,640
Puerto Rico	3,200
Oklahoma	2,880
Alabama	2,700
Nebraska	2,650

Highest-Paying States for Highway Maintenance Workers

These states pay the most for highway maintenance workers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Connecticut	$63,770
Washington	$63,420
Oregon	$62,990
Alaska	$61,910
Minnesota	$60,900
North Dakota	$60,830
Montana	$60,730
Massachusetts	$59,240
California	$58,300
Illinois	$58,130

Skills

Top highway maintenance workers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for highway maintenance workers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, highway maintenance workers typically:

• Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
• Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
• Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
• Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
• Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
• Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
• Drive heavy equipment and vehicles with adjustable attachments to sweep debris from paved surfaces, mow grass and weeds, remove snow and ice, and spread salt and sand.
• Haul and spread sand, gravel, and clay to fill washouts and repair road shoulders.
• Inspect, clean, and repair drainage systems, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.
• Remove litter and debris from roadways, including debris from rock and mud slides.
• Dump, spread, and tamp asphalt, using pneumatic tampers, to repair joints and patch broken pavement.
• Perform roadside landscaping work, such as clearing weeds and brush, and planting and trimming trees.

Work Activities

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Getting Information
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Assisting and Caring for Others
• Developing and Building Teams
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others
• Selling or Influencing Others

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

• Ground Transportation

Related Careers

Related occupations to highway maintenance workers include:

• Transportation Engineers
• Construction Laborers
• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators
• Pile Driver Operators
• Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
• Helpers–Electricians

Also Known As

Asphalt Raker, Caltrans Equipment Operator, Certified Flagger, Construction Flagger, Equipment Operator (EO), Flagger, Highway Maintainer, Highway Maintenance Crew Worker, Highway Maintenance Technician, Highway Maintenance Worker, Highway Technician (Highway Tech), Highway Technician Associate, Highway Worker, Hot Oiler, Lane Marker Installer.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 47-4051.00