Highway Maintenance Workers vs Segmental Pavers: Similar Median Pay, Different Education Paths

Highway Maintenance Workers vs Segmental Pavers: what changes?

Consider Highway Maintenance Workers if you want to maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way. Consider Segmental Pavers if you would rather lay out, cut, and place segmental paving units. Entry credentials differ: Highway Maintenance Workers, high school diploma or equivalent; Segmental Pavers, specialty requirements need verification.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Highway Maintenance Workers and Segmental Pavers. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

The labor-market benchmark for Segmental Pavers covers the broader BLS group Miscellaneous construction and related workers (47-4090). It does not isolate this specialty.

Compare the practical differences

Highway Maintenance Workers

National median pay (2025): $50,260
Route into the job: High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Set out signs and cones around work areas to divert traffic.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 11,800

Know before you choose

The work can involve real occupational hazards. Training, protective equipment, and routine safety discipline matter every day.

See the full Highway Maintenance Workers brief

Segmental Pavers

National median pay (2025): $49,910
Route into the job: specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
Prior related experience: Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
Training and licensing: Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.
Work to investigate: Prepare base for installation by removing unstable or unsuitable materials, compacting and grading the soil, draining or stabilizing weak or saturated soils and taking measures to prevent water penetration and migration of bedding sand.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,400

Know before you choose

Operating or riding in vehicles is a recurring part of the work rather than an occasional trip.

See the full Segmental Pavers brief

How the national numbers differ

Highway Maintenance Workers has the edge on annual openings

Highway Maintenance Workers is at 11,800 annual openings, compared with 2,400 annual openings for Segmental Pavers.

Segmental Pavers has the edge on projected growth

Segmental Pavers is at 3.9% projected growth, compared with 3.4% projected growth for Highway Maintenance Workers.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

56/ 100

Highway Maintenance Workers

48.1/ 100

Segmental Pavers

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Highway Maintenance Workers vs Segmental Pavers

Dimension	Highway Maintenance Workers	Segmental Pavers
Median pay (2025)	$50,260	$49,910
Pay percentile	33 percentile	32.2 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	3.4%	3.9%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	11,800	2,400
2025 employment	161,800	29,500
How you qualify	High school diploma or equivalent; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	specialty-specific preparation that needs verification with programs and employers; the broader BLS occupation's education category is not a verified route for this specialty
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 2	Job Zone 2
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior experience requirements need verification for this occupation.
On-the-job training	More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	Verify the specialty's training, licensing, and full preparation time with an accredited program or employer.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Highway Maintenance Workers brief Read Segmental Pavers brief

Highway Maintenance Workers vs Segmental Pavers: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Highway Maintenance Workers

Segmental Pavers

How the national numbers differ

Highway Maintenance Workers has the edge on annual openings

Segmental Pavers has the edge on projected growth

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Highway Maintenance Workers vs Segmental Pavers

Try another comparison

Highway Maintenance Workers vs Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

Segmental Pavers vs Hazardous Materials Removal Workers

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