Average Employee Salary by Industry in 2026: Construction, Healthcare, Tech, Restaurant & More
Hiring decisions start with one question: what does it cost to staff this industry? The answer varies by factor of 3x–5x depending on which vertical you're in. A software engineer earns 4× what a restaurant line cook makes. A nurse practitioner earns 2× what a construction laborer makes. Here's the full 2026 salary landscape across six major verticals — drawn from BLS Occupational Employment data, MGMA surveys, and industry compensation benchmarks.
Construction Industry Salaries (2026)
Construction is one of the most stratified industries by skill level — the same job site can have workers earning $18/hr and $85/hr simultaneously. Key roles and median wages: Construction laborer: $21.50–$28/hr ($44,000–$58,000/yr). Carpenter: $28–$40/hr ($58,000–$83,000/yr). Electrician (journeyman): $35–$58/hr ($72,000–$120,000/yr). Plumber (journeyman): $32–$55/hr ($66,000–$114,000/yr). HVAC technician: $28–$45/hr ($58,000–$94,000/yr). Project manager (construction): $85,000–$130,000/yr salary. Superintendent: $90,000–$145,000/yr salary. Estimator: $75,000–$110,000/yr salary. Regional variation is extreme. Union wages in New York City can be 40–60% higher than open-shop wages in Texas for identical skill sets. California prevailing wage for public projects ranges $45–$95/hr for skilled trades. AGC 2025 Workforce Survey reports 83% of contractors face "moderate to severe" hiring difficulty for skilled trades — the labor shortage is driving wages up 5–8%/yr in high-demand markets. Average all-in construction worker cost (wages + burden): $55,000–$85,000/yr per FTE.
Healthcare Industry Salaries (2026)
Healthcare pays a wide range — from medical assistants earning $40,000 to neurosurgeons clearing $800,000+. For practice owners, the relevant question is staffing cost per FTE. Key roles: Medical assistant (MA): $38,000–$52,000/yr. Licensed practical nurse (LPN): $50,000–$62,000/yr. Registered nurse (RN): $72,000–$95,000/yr. Nurse practitioner (NP): $115,000–$145,000/yr. Physician assistant (PA): $120,000–$155,000/yr. Primary care physician (employed): $230,000–$290,000/yr (MGMA 2025). Specialist physician (employed): $350,000–$600,000+/yr by specialty. Practice administrator: $75,000–$120,000/yr. Medical biller/coder: $42,000–$65,000/yr. The 2026 nursing shortage is driving RN wages up 6–10%/yr in most markets — particularly in California and Texas. Travel nurse rates peaked in 2022–2023 and have moderated, but are still running $2,200–$3,500/week for 13-week contracts in high-need specialties. Healthcare benefit burden (health insurance, retirement, PTO) typically adds 28–35% on top of base wages. Average all-in cost for an RN: $95,000–$130,000/yr fully loaded.
Technology Industry Salaries (2026)
Technology remains the highest-paying industry for knowledge workers, despite the 2023–2024 layoff cycles that reset some inflation-era salaries. 2026 benchmarks (US market, base salary): Software engineer (mid-level): $130,000–$175,000/yr. Senior software engineer: $175,000–$250,000/yr. Principal/staff engineer: $250,000–$380,000/yr. Product manager: $140,000–$200,000/yr. Data scientist: $130,000–$185,000/yr. UX/UI designer: $95,000–$145,000/yr. DevOps/SRE engineer: $150,000–$220,000/yr. Engineering manager: $200,000–$300,000/yr. Total compensation (base + equity + bonus) at large tech companies (Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple) can be 1.5–2.5× base salary at senior levels. Levels.fyi data for 2026 shows median total compensation for senior engineers at FAANG at $380,000–$520,000. Geographic variation: San Francisco/Seattle add 20–30% to base; remote roles have narrowed the gap but major tech hubs still command a premium. AI/ML roles command highest market rates — machine learning engineers and AI researchers earn $180,000–$400,000 base in 2026. Tech benefit burden: Generous benefits common. Healthcare fully covered, 401k match, equity — all-in cost often 150–175% of base.
Restaurant Industry Salaries (2026)
Restaurant is the lowest-paying major industry for frontline staff, which is why labor is both the largest cost and the largest operational risk. 2026 benchmarks: Line cook: $16–$22/hr ($33,000–$46,000/yr). Sous chef: $22–$32/hr ($46,000–$67,000/yr). Head chef / executive chef: $55,000–$95,000/yr (large operations). Restaurant manager (general): $50,000–$75,000/yr. Food and beverage director: $75,000–$110,000/yr. Server/front of house: $12–$18/hr base + tips (effective hourly with tips: $18–$35+/hr in high-volume urban restaurants). Minimum wage variation is the single biggest cost driver for restaurant operators: California $20/hr (fast food, 2026), $16.50/hr general minimum. New York City $16/hr. Texas $7.25 (federal). Florida $13/hr. A 20-employee restaurant in California vs Texas can have a labor cost difference of $200,000–$400,000 per year for equivalent labor. The 2026 labor environment: Turnover rates average 75–80% annually in QSR, 40–60% in casual dining. Replacement cost per employee (recruiting, training, lost productivity): $2,500–$5,500. Labor as % of revenue: 30–35% in well-run operations. For restaurant operations benchmarks, see FranchiseStack and BizStackHub.
Manufacturing & Retail Salaries (2026)
Manufacturing: Experiencing a wage renaissance driven by reshoring, EV production buildout, and semiconductor fab investment. Key roles: Production assembler: $19–$28/hr ($39,000–$58,000/yr). CNC machinist: $28–$45/hr ($58,000–$94,000/yr). Quality engineer: $75,000–$105,000/yr. Manufacturing engineer: $80,000–$120,000/yr. Plant manager: $110,000–$175,000/yr. Automation/robotics technician: $55,000–$90,000/yr — fastest-growing manufacturing role as facilities automate. Average manufacturing wage (BLS 2025): $25.40/hr ($52,800/yr). Reshoring Intel and TSMC fabs in Arizona, Samsung in Texas, and Ford/GM EV plants in Tennessee are paying 15–25% above regional prevailing wages to attract skilled workers. Retail: Lowest average wages in the service economy. Retail associate: $13–$18/hr. Shift supervisor: $17–$24/hr. Store manager: $48,000–$75,000/yr. District manager: $75,000–$120,000/yr. E-commerce/logistics coordinator: $45,000–$65,000/yr. Key trend: Retailers with $10B+ revenue (Walmart, Amazon, Target, Costco) have moved to $17–$18/hr minimums, compressing smaller retailers who can't match wages while maintaining margins. Average retail hourly wage (BLS 2025): $18.35/hr.
Cross-Vertical Salary Summary & Hiring Implications
Summary of median annual wages by industry (FTE, 2026): Technology: $165,000 (median software role). Healthcare (clinical): $95,000 (RN level). Healthcare (physician): $260,000 (primary care employed). Construction (trades): $72,000 (journeyman electrician). Manufacturing: $65,000 (skilled machinist). Construction (laborer): $51,000. Retail: $38,000 (associate). Restaurant (FOH): $35,000 + tips. The all-in staffing cost ratio between a senior software engineer ($250,000+ total comp) and a restaurant line cook ($36,000) is approximately 7:1. For business planning purposes, labor cost modeling should use total burden cost — base wage + payroll taxes (7.65% FICA employer share) + benefits + workers' comp + training + turnover replacement. Actual all-in cost is typically 130–160% of base wage for non-healthcare industries, 128–135% for healthcare. Key insight: The industries with highest wage floors (tech, healthcare) have correspondingly higher margins or billing rates. Restaurant and retail's low wages are offset by volume economics — the margin pressure is still acute. See the Stack Network Advisor for personalized industry wage modeling. For legal compensation benchmarks, see LegalStackTools. For startup cost planning including payroll, use the Startup Cost Estimator.
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