Highway Maintenance Workers: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Stan T.Career, Overview

Highway Maintenance Workers

Highway Maintenance Workers 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.

Salary
$43200
Becoming One
Easy
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Low
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job description

Highway Maintenance Workers maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Duties include patching broken or eroded pavement, repairing guard rails, highway markers, and snow fences. May also mow or clear brush from along road or plow snow from roadway.

  • 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.
Read more about what does a Highway Maintenance Worker really do at work and what is it like being and working as one.



Salary

Average salary
$41440 per year

Average hourly wage
$20 per hour


Highway Maintenance Workers with little to no experience tend to make between $26030 and $32250 while the more experienced ones can earn over $49330 per year.

Top 5 paying states Hourly Annual
CA $27 $57,070
CT $25 $52,940
WA $25 $52,230
OR $24 $50,320
MA $24 $50,000

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Highway Maintenance Worker is to move to a higher paying state like CA. Right now, the highest paying states for Highway Maintenance Workers are CA, CT, WA, OR and MA.

However, a higher pay at CA doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at CA might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Highway Maintenance Worker is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.


Requirements

Recommended degree level
No degree required

We asked other Highway Maintenance Workers what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a High School Diploma followed by less than a High School Diploma.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
Flagging and Traffic Control
Read more about how to become a Highway Maintenance Worker and the degree, training and education you need.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Highway Maintenance Worker.

PROS
Suitable for people who likes practical and hands-on work
Suitable for people who wants to work in a supportive work environment
This career is perfect for people who love to work outdoors.
It is easy to get into this career. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.
Normal working hours (40 hours per week)
CONS
Not suitable for people who likes to work with designs
Salary is below average

What is the job like

Job satisfaction
63%

Is this job meaningful
56%


63% of Highway Maintenance Workers said they were satisfied with their job and 56% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.


Is this right for me

Best personality for this career
The Builders and The Organizers

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.



Learn more about Highway Maintenance Workers

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Job Description
Salary
Requirements
Quiz

Related career information

Highway Maintenance Workers job description, Highway Maintenance Workers salary, Highway Maintenance Workers information, what is the job of a Highway Maintenance Worker like, pros and cons about Highway Maintenance Workers, colleges and universities for Highway Maintenance Workers, is Highway Maintenance Workers the right career for me, careers in Construction and Extraction

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