How to read this: BLS does not track demolition contractors as their own occupation. These figures cover "Construction Laborers" (SOC 47-2061), which counts demolition work alongside related roles, so read them as the band rather than the exact number.
The average demolition contractor in the United States earns $52,030 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $47,120. That works out at about $25.02 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Hawaii averages $71,520 and Alabama $37,910. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a demolition contractor actually does for that money
BLS has no demolition occupation, so this uses construction laborers, the occupation most demolition crews are counted under. Certified abatement work is a separate, better paid occupation, and crews that hold both are the ones who get the interior strip-out jobs on commercial sites.
What demolition contractors earn, from bottom to top
An average hides the spread, and the spread is what matters when you are deciding whether to enter the trade or what to pay someone. Here is the full range BLS publishes.
| Percentile | Annual | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $35,090 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $38,620 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $47,120 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $59,740 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $78,090 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Demolition salary by state
Hawaii pays the most at $71,520 a year, and Alabama the least at $37,910. Cost of living explains part of that gap and licensing rules explain a good deal of the rest.
| # | State | Average annual | Median annual | Hourly | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $71,520 | $77,110 | $34.39 | 4,580 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $70,830 | $63,390 | $34.05 | 16,210 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $70,400 | $64,060 | $33.84 | 23,590 |
| 4 | Illinois | $67,620 | $60,690 | $32.51 | 35,940 |
| 5 | California | $64,870 | $60,270 | $31.19 | 88,240 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $64,740 | $60,260 | $31.12 | 28,530 |
| 7 | New York | $62,180 | $55,930 | $29.89 | 52,090 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $61,780 | $57,240 | $29.70 | 2,110 |
| 9 | Washington | $61,320 | $57,720 | $29.48 | 25,060 |
| 10 | Missouri | $60,850 | $56,730 | $29.26 | 17,050 |
| 11 | Alaska | $59,270 | $58,060 | $28.50 | 3,690 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $59,250 | $58,290 | $28.49 | 7,360 |
| 13 | Ohio | $58,300 | $56,080 | $28.03 | 31,910 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | $57,960 | $56,100 | $27.87 | 20,330 |
| 15 | Oregon | $55,710 | $50,860 | $26.79 | 12,620 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $54,330 | $49,400 | $26.12 | 35,920 |
| 17 | Indiana | $54,060 | $50,070 | $25.99 | 28,600 |
| 18 | Nevada | $54,030 | $48,990 | $25.98 | 11,890 |
| 19 | North Dakota | $53,150 | $49,070 | $25.55 | 5,050 |
| 20 | Michigan | $53,130 | $49,590 | $25.54 | 28,490 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $52,220 | $50,020 | $25.11 | 2,090 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $51,730 | $49,980 | $24.87 | 4,330 |
| 23 | Iowa | $51,580 | $48,490 | $24.80 | 13,780 |
| 24 | Montana | $51,580 | $49,830 | $24.80 | 4,590 |
| 25 | Vermont | $51,000 | $48,580 | $24.52 | 1,430 |
| 26 | Colorado | $49,830 | $47,900 | $23.96 | 18,680 |
| 27 | Idaho | $48,630 | $46,940 | $23.38 | 10,850 |
| 28 | Utah | $48,410 | $46,550 | $23.27 | 20,950 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $48,350 | $47,260 | $23.25 | 8,530 |
| 30 | Maryland | $48,330 | $46,960 | $23.24 | 20,920 |
| 31 | Delaware | $48,020 | $45,550 | $23.09 | 3,240 |
| 32 | Arizona | $47,910 | $46,590 | $23.03 | 37,630 |
| 33 | Maine | $47,800 | $46,430 | $22.98 | 3,960 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $45,970 | $45,000 | $22.10 | 26,250 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $45,840 | $45,710 | $22.04 | 13,280 |
| 36 | Kansas | $45,580 | $44,840 | $21.91 | 9,990 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $45,550 | $42,670 | $21.90 | 6,620 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $45,470 | $42,940 | $21.86 | 19,620 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $45,420 | $46,030 | $21.84 | 3,350 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $45,250 | $44,720 | $21.76 | 35,620 |
| 41 | Florida | $44,550 | $44,030 | $21.42 | 87,040 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $44,310 | $45,710 | $21.30 | 1,780 |
| 43 | Virginia | $43,670 | $43,560 | $21.00 | 25,830 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $43,310 | $39,360 | $20.82 | 13,710 |
| 45 | Texas | $42,910 | $40,620 | $20.63 | 123,250 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $42,250 | $38,230 | $20.31 | 22,100 |
| 47 | Georgia | $41,530 | $38,990 | $19.96 | 27,800 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $41,450 | $38,400 | $19.93 | 12,470 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $40,310 | $37,710 | $19.38 | 8,800 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $39,250 | $37,630 | $18.87 | 10,650 |
| 51 | Alabama | $37,910 | $36,900 | $18.23 | 18,400 |
Where the money is: highest paying metros
State averages flatten out the difference between a city and the rural county next to it. These are the metro areas paying demolition contractors the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $78,590 | $37.79 |
| 2 | Vineland, NJ | $74,200 | $35.67 |
| 3 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $73,640 | $35.40 |
| 4 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $73,100 | $35.14 |
| 5 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $71,350 | $34.30 |
| 6 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $70,120 | $33.71 |
| 7 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $69,780 | $33.55 |
| 8 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $69,180 | $33.26 |
| 9 | Worcester, MA | $69,030 | $33.19 |
| 10 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $67,800 | $32.59 |
What moves the number
- Demolition contractors are licensed in most states, and anyone touching asbestos or lead needs separate federal and state certification that carries a real pay premium.
- Tied to construction starts and to redevelopment, so it is cyclical, and the biggest jobs come in bursts rather than steadily.
- Selective interior demolition and hazardous material abatement pay well above general teardown work.
- The bottom ten percent of demolition contractors earn under $35,090 and the top ten percent clear $78,090. That gap is the trade telling you where the money is.
- Working for somebody else and working for yourself are different questions. These figures cover employed demolition contractors on a payroll, so they exclude the self-employed, and in this trade a large share of the best operators are exactly that.
What you can earn running the business instead
The number above is a wage. Running the business is a different calculation: you take the full ticket rather than an hourly rate, and what you keep depends on how many jobs you fit in a week, how quickly you get paid and how much of your day goes on scheduling, estimates and chasing invoices instead of on the work. That is the part software actually changes. Owners who put scheduling, estimating, invoicing and automated follow-up in one place tend to run more jobs with the same crew, which is where the gap between a demolition contractor wage and an owner income opens up.
Demolition salary FAQs
- How much do demolition contractors make a year?
- The median demolition contractor in the United States earns $47,120 a year and the average is $52,030, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do demolition contractors make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $25.02. Annual earnings are usually higher than that rate multiplied by a standard year, because overtime, call-outs and premium work are not in the base rate.
- Which state pays demolition contractors the most?
- Hawaii pays the most at an average of $71,520 a year, followed by Massachusetts at $70,830 and New Jersey at $70,400. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay demolition contractors the most?
- Kahului-Wailuku, HI tops the list at an average of $78,590 a year, with Vineland, NJ at $74,200. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can demolition contractors earn six figures?
- As an employee it is uncommon: the top ten percent earn $78,090. Owners are a different question, because they are paid on the job rather than on the hour, and owner income is not in these figures.
- Do these figures include self-employed demolition contractors?
- No. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program covers wage and salary workers, so sole proprietors and business owners are excluded. In a trade with as many owner-operators as this one, that matters when you read the number.
- Where does this demolition salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "Construction Laborers" (SOC 47-2061). It is a survey of employers rather than of workers, which is why it is more reliable than self-reported salary sites.
All wage figures on this page are from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. BLS suppresses figures in areas with too few employers to publish safely; those appear as n/a rather than an estimate.
