Highway Maintenance Workers Salary
In Fort Collins-Loveland, CO, highway maintenance workers earn $54,950 at the median, or about $26.42 an hour. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $65K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 101.13), that's roughly $54,336 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,759/month, about 47.8% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $55K actually covers in Fort Collins-Loveland, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Fort Collins-Loveland’s Regional Price Parity (101.13). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About highway maintenance workers
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What this looks like in Fort Collins-Loveland
Highway maintenance workers pay in Fort Collins-Loveland tracks closely to the national median, $55K locally vs. $50K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,759/month, which is 48.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 101.13) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for highway maintenance workers in metros near Fort Collins-Loveland, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | $55K | $52K |
| Colorado Springs | $58K | $57K |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | $51K | $49K |
| Oklahoma City | $44K | $49K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
Entry-level highway maintenance workers (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $55K. Top earners bring in $65K or more, a $13K spread from bottom to top.
Highway Maintenance Workers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Highway Maintenance Workers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $65K | +30% | 1,650 |
| Washington | $65K | +30% | 2,590 |
| Connecticut | $65K | +29% | 2,130 |
| Minnesota | $63K | +26% | 4,610 |
| Illinois | $62K | +23% | 10,790 |
| Massachusetts | $62K | +22% | 2,000 |
| Montana | $61K | +21% | 1,140 |
| North Dakota | $61K | +21% | 1,240 |
| California | $60K | +19% | 8,150 |
| Iowa | $58K | +16% | 4,000 |
| Vermont | $58K | +16% | 1,170 |
| Wisconsin | $58K | +15% | 6,000 |
| Rhode Island | $58K | +15% | 620 |
| Utah | $56K | +11% | 1,240 |
| New York | $55K | +10% | 13,820 |
| Alaska | $54K | +8% | 50 |
| Michigan | $54K | +7% | 5,230 |
| Colorado | $52K | +4% | 1,990 |
| Idaho | $52K | +4% | 1,340 |
| New Jersey | $52K | +3% | 4,850 |
| New Hampshire | $51K | +2% | 1,230 |
| Arizona | $51K | +1% | 1,410 |
| Virginia | $51K | +1% | 3,400 |
| Nevada | $49K | -2% | 990 |
| Maryland | $49K | -2% | 620 |
| Maine | $49K | -2% | 1,620 |
| Ohio | $49K | -3% | 6,070 |
| Nebraska | $49K | -3% | 2,580 |
| South Dakota | $49K | -3% | 1,800 |
| Indiana | $48K | -4% | 4,380 |
| Wyoming | $48K | -4% | 820 |
| South Carolina | $48K | -4% | 2,290 |
| North Carolina | $48K | -5% | 3,750 |
| New Mexico | $48K | -5% | 1,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $48K | -5% | 11,140 |
| Missouri | $47K | -6% | 5,470 |
| Tennessee | $46K | -8% | 2,280 |
| Kansas | $46K | -8% | 1,960 |
| Texas | $46K | -9% | 6,630 |
| Delaware | $45K | -10% | 90 |
| West Virginia | $45K | -10% | 730 |
| Louisiana | $45K | -11% | 1,050 |
| Florida | $42K | -16% | 2,530 |
| Kentucky | $40K | -20% | 3,030 |
| Oklahoma | $39K | -23% | 3,180 |
| Georgia | $38K | -25% | 1,980 |
| Alabama | $37K | -26% | 2,730 |
| Arkansas | $36K | -29% | 860 |
| Mississippi | $35K | -30% | 4,160 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track highway maintenance workers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Fort Collins-Loveland numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a highway maintenance worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Fort Collins-Loveland?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $55K, rent takes 48.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,759/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for highway maintenance workers in Fort Collins-Loveland?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new highway maintenance workers typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,482/month. At HUD’s $1,759/month FMR, rent would take 51% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is highway maintenance worker a high-paying job in Fort Collins-Loveland?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $55K locally vs. $50K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does Fort Collins-Loveland compare to the national average for highway maintenance workers?
Fort Collins-Loveland pays $55K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 101.13), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do highway maintenance workers make in Fort Collins-Loveland, CO?
The median is $54,950 a year, that works out to about $26 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $52,330, and experienced highway maintenance workers can clear $65,060. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $55K enough to live in Fort Collins-Loveland?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,648/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,759/month, which eats 48.2% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a highway maintenance workers salary go in Fort Collins-Loveland?
Fort Collins-Loveland has a Regional Price Parity of 101.13 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median highway maintenance workers salary is worth about $54,336 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do highway maintenance workers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.