Highway Maintenance Workers Salary
In Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI, highway maintenance workers earn $56,860 at the median, or about $27.34 an hour. The range runs from $46K at the entry level to $68K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.55), that's roughly $59,508 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,519/month, about 40.7% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $57K get you in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood’s Regional Price Parity (95.55). 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood sits well above the national pay line for highway maintenance workers, local pay runs about 13% higher than the U.S. median of $50K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,519/month, which is 40.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 95.55) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for highway maintenance workers in metros near Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $49K | $49K |
| Lansing-East Lansing | $56K | $59K |
| Traverse City | $59K | $63K |
| Saginaw | $55K | $60K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI
Entry-level highway maintenance workers (10th percentile) start around $46K. Mid-career wages sit at $57K. Top earners bring in $68K or more, a $22K 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 quarterly. We'll email you when Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a highway maintenance worker afford a 2BR apartment alone in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $57K, rent takes 40.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,519/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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new highway maintenance workers typically earn — is $46K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,734/month. At HUD’s $1,519/month FMR, rent would take 56% 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
Local pay is 13% above the national median — $57K here vs. $50K nationally.
How does Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood compare to the national average for highway maintenance workers?
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood pays $57K median vs. the U.S. average of $50K — that’s +13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.55), the purchasing-power equivalent is $60K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do highway maintenance workers make in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI?
The median is $56,860 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $45,560, and experienced highway maintenance workers can clear $67,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $57K enough to live in Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,776/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,519/month, which eats 40.2% 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 Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood?
Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood has a Regional Price Parity of 95.55 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median highway maintenance workers salary is worth about $59,508 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.