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.
Also called: Asphalt Raker, Caltrans Equipment Operator, Certified Flagger, Construction Flagger, Equipment Operator (EO), Flagger
Median pay
$50,260
per year, U.S.
Pay range (10th–90th)
$36,230 – $71,970
People employed
154,960
Holland code
RCS
Realistic · Conventional · Social
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Is this career right for you?
These are the things that stand out in this job compared with other U.S. jobs (O*NET 31.0 work context). Answer honestly.
- 1.Are you OK with hours that change?
- 2.Do you want to stay at 40 hours a week or less?
- 3.Are you comfortable following clear instructions?
- 4.Are you OK with physical risk, such as hazardous equipment or conditions, with proper training?
- 5.Are you OK working outdoors in all kinds of weather?
The hard parts
- Work outdoors in all weather
- Mistakes can have serious consequences
- Long hours on your feet
Highway Maintenance Workers pay by state
Highest-paying states
Annual median pay by state (49 states with published data). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
What highway maintenance workers do
- 01Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
- 02Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.
- 03Perform preventative maintenance on vehicles and heavy equipment.
- 04Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.
- 05Erect, install, or repair guardrails, road shoulders, berms, highway markers, warning signals, and highway lighting, using hand tools and power tools.
- 06Clean and clear debris from culverts, catch basins, drop inlets, ditches, and other drain structures.
Skills that matter most
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
Knowledge
- Public Safety and Security
- English Language
- Transportation
- Building and Construction
- Education and Training
Work styles that stand out
- Dependability
Education and first steps
Share of workers by required education, as reported to O*NET.
How people get started
- Usually needs a high school diploma (O*NET Job Zone 2).
- Related work experience: over 6 months, up to and including 1 year.
- On-the-job training: over 1 year, up to and including 2 years.
Most common answers from O*NET 31.0 Education, Training and Experience.
Interest fit (Holland code)
O*NET occupational interest scores, scale 1–7. Take the Free Career Test to compare with your own.
Career changes
Change from highway maintenance workers
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators85% · +19%
- Pile Driver Operators83% · +46%
- Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining81% · +14%
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators80% · +6%
- Construction Laborers77% · −6%
Change into highway maintenance workers
Jobs whose skills carry over best (skill match, their median pay).
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners78% · $50,960
- Motorboat Operators77% · $47,520
- Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators77% · $53,340
- Aircraft Service Attendants76% · $40,450
- Bridge and Lock Tenders76% · $57,700
Majors that lead here
- Construction/Heavy Equipment/Earthmoving Equipment Operation
- Flagging and Traffic Control
From the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk.