How to read this: BLS publishes no occupation for pool building. The closest comparable work it does track is "First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers" (SOC 47-1011), so treat these figures as a reference point rather than a measurement of this trade.
The average pool builder in the United States earns $86,450 a year, and the median, which is the figure that describes a typical worker rather than one dragged around by the top end, is $79,920. That works out at about $41.56 an hour. Where you work moves that a long way: Washington averages $115,800 and Arkansas $65,690. Everything below is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 release, not from job ads or self-reported surveys.
What a pool builder actually does for that money
Pool construction has no occupation of its own; this uses construction trade supervisors, which is what a pool build crew leader is counted as. The trade is concentrated in a handful of warm states, so national figures are less useful here than in almost any other trade on this list.
What pool builders 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% | $53,280 | Starting out, or an apprentice rate |
| 25th | $63,400 | Still building speed and a customer base |
| Median | $79,920 | The middle of the trade |
| 75th | $101,460 | Experienced, licensed, in demand |
| Top 10% | $128,260 | Specialists, supervisors and owners |
Pool Building salary by state
Washington pays the most at $115,800 a year, and Arkansas the least at $65,690. 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 | Washington | $115,800 | $109,570 | $55.67 | 19,550 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $107,160 | $105,510 | $51.52 | 16,230 |
| 3 | Alaska | $106,430 | $102,140 | $51.17 | 2,690 |
| 4 | Oregon | $106,350 | $103,070 | $51.13 | 7,890 |
| 5 | California | $103,760 | $97,680 | $49.89 | 71,750 |
| 6 | Illinois | $103,450 | $105,750 | $49.74 | 19,340 |
| 7 | Hawaii | $103,000 | $102,630 | $49.52 | 2,890 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $100,030 | $97,850 | $48.09 | 18,330 |
| 9 | New York | $98,910 | $95,700 | $47.55 | 29,600 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $97,550 | $98,590 | $46.90 | 2,060 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $94,970 | $97,610 | $45.66 | 13,580 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $94,560 | $81,370 | $45.46 | 4,350 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $93,780 | $86,520 | $45.09 | 1,420 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $93,030 | $92,260 | $44.73 | 6,980 |
| 15 | Nevada | $90,360 | $81,990 | $43.44 | 9,680 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $89,590 | $81,540 | $43.07 | 26,860 |
| 17 | Vermont | $88,960 | $82,490 | $42.77 | 1,010 |
| 18 | Missouri | $88,490 | $87,520 | $42.55 | 13,330 |
| 19 | Colorado | $87,220 | $81,230 | $41.93 | 21,380 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $87,010 | $85,350 | $41.83 | 15,150 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $86,940 | $81,220 | $41.80 | 3,590 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $86,780 | $80,060 | $41.72 | 5,380 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $86,670 | $78,250 | $41.67 | 3,270 |
| 24 | Indiana | $86,470 | $82,530 | $41.57 | 16,450 |
| 25 | Delaware | $84,520 | $81,100 | $40.64 | 2,590 |
| 26 | Maryland | $83,960 | $78,760 | $40.36 | 15,400 |
| 27 | Michigan | $82,990 | $78,180 | $39.90 | 16,660 |
| 28 | Ohio | $82,100 | $79,580 | $39.47 | 23,640 |
| 29 | Georgia | $81,870 | $78,430 | $39.36 | 26,770 |
| 30 | Virginia | $81,790 | $78,640 | $39.32 | 24,970 |
| 31 | Utah | $81,000 | $77,280 | $38.94 | 14,270 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $80,930 | $75,130 | $38.91 | 6,790 |
| 33 | Iowa | $80,500 | $78,510 | $38.70 | 9,660 |
| 34 | Kansas | $80,330 | $76,780 | $38.62 | 8,940 |
| 35 | Maine | $80,170 | $77,290 | $38.54 | 3,130 |
| 36 | Arizona | $80,070 | $78,550 | $38.50 | 21,550 |
| 37 | Montana | $79,770 | $76,910 | $38.35 | 4,350 |
| 38 | Florida | $79,200 | $75,790 | $38.08 | 69,830 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $78,970 | $77,690 | $37.96 | 2,360 |
| 40 | Idaho | $78,390 | $75,550 | $37.69 | 6,730 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $77,790 | $75,350 | $37.40 | 13,150 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $77,320 | $75,270 | $37.18 | 32,460 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $76,900 | $75,570 | $36.97 | 6,020 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $76,850 | $73,040 | $36.95 | 11,520 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $76,830 | $74,470 | $36.94 | 17,770 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $76,740 | $75,360 | $36.89 | 14,070 |
| 47 | Texas | $76,630 | $74,520 | $36.84 | 90,010 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $74,220 | $73,490 | $35.68 | 9,620 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $72,400 | $66,910 | $34.81 | 7,040 |
| 50 | Alabama | $71,050 | $64,120 | $34.16 | 13,580 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $65,690 | $61,230 | $31.58 | 6,590 |
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 pool builders the most.
| # | Metro area | Average annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $130,350 | $62.67 |
| 2 | Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | $126,600 | $60.86 |
| 3 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $121,660 | $58.49 |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $119,190 | $57.30 |
| 5 | Kennewick-Richland, WA | $118,990 | $57.21 |
| 6 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $113,820 | $54.72 |
| 7 | Bellingham, WA | $111,900 | $53.80 |
| 8 | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | $111,850 | $53.77 |
| 9 | Longview-Kelso, WA | $111,140 | $53.43 |
| 10 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $109,890 | $52.83 |
What moves the number
- Pool contractors are licensed as a specialty in most warm-climate states, with separate requirements for the electrical bonding and gas work.
- Sales are seasonal and build slots fill months ahead, so the earnings pattern is a long backlog rather than a steady week.
- Custom gunite work, water features and full outdoor-living builds pay well above vinyl liner and fiberglass installs.
- The bottom ten percent of pool builders earn under $53,280 and the top ten percent clear $128,260. 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 pool builders 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 pool builder wage and an owner income opens up.
Pool Building salary FAQs
- How much do pool builders make a year?
- The median pool builder in the United States earns $79,920 a year and the average is $86,450, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 release. Half the trade earns more than the median and half less.
- How much do pool builders make an hour?
- The mean hourly wage is $41.56. 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 pool builders the most?
- Washington pays the most at an average of $115,800 a year, followed by New Jersey at $107,160 and Alaska at $106,430. Cost of living accounts for some of that and licensing rules for much of the rest.
- Which cities pay pool builders the most?
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA tops the list at an average of $130,350 a year, with Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA at $126,600. Metro figures move a lot more than state averages, so the city matters more than the state.
- Can pool builders earn six figures?
- Yes. The top ten percent of pool builders earn $128,260 or more. Getting there usually means a combination of licensing, specialization and either supervising a crew or running the business.
- Do these figures include self-employed pool builders?
- 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 pool building salary data come from?
- The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, for "First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers" (SOC 47-1011). 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.
