State rankings
Prevailing Wages by State
Colorado has the highest Prevailing Wage Threshold in 2023 ($500,000), followed by Virginia ($250,000) and Maryland ($250,000). Rhode Island has the lowest ($1,000).
Prevailing Wage ThresholdBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
22 of 51 statesPrevailing Wage Threshold, 2023
Darker green is better (higher is better). Click a place to highlight it.
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All 22 ranked
Best first.
Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →
Each dot is one state; the lines mark the median and the middle half.
Median
$55,000
Middle half $25K – $100K
Average
$88,114
22 states
Highest
$500,000
Colorado
Lowest
$1,000
Rhode Island
Over time · 2003–2023
The top 5 in 2023, against the median.
- Median of all states
- Colorado
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Connecticut
- Nevada
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
23 states · # = rank by Prevailing Wage Threshold
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Colorado | $500,000 | Does not apply to DoT projects |
| 2 |  Virginia | $250,000 | — |
| 2 |  Maryland | $250,000 | State government or state funds 25%+ of project |
| 4 |  Connecticut | $100,000 | $1,000,000 (new) $100,000 (remodel) |
| 4 |  Nevada | $100,000 | — |
| 4 |  District of Columbia | $100,000 | Davis-Beacon rates apply if in excess of $2,000 |
| 4 |  Vermont | $100,000 | At least 50% funded by capital construction act |
| 4 |  Wyoming | $100,000 | — |
| 9 |  Ohio | $75,000 | $250,000 (new) $75,000 (remodel) |
| 9 |  Missouri | $75,000 | — |
| 11 |  New Mexico | $60,000 | — |
| 12 |  Tennessee | $50,000 | Only for highway construction |
| 12 |  Maine | $50,000 | — |
| 14 |  Delaware | $45,000 | $500,000 (new) $45,000 (repair) |
| 15 |  Pennsylvania | $25,000 | — |
| 15 |  Montana | $25,000 | — |
| 15 |  Alaska | $25,000 | — |
| 18 |  Minnesota | $2,500 | $25,000 (2+ trades) $2,500 (1 trade) |
| 19 |  New Jersey | $2,000 | — |
| 19 |  Hawaii | $2,000 | — |
| 21 |  California | $1,000 | — |
| 21 |  Rhode Island | $1,000 | — |
| — |  Oregon | — | Only considered public works if over $50,000 |
What correlates with Prevailing Wage Threshold (2023)?
Pearson r against 2,080 other state metrics sharing at least 14 states. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that have a higher Prevailing Wage Threshold tend to score higher on these
Opposite directions
Places that have a higher Prevailing Wage Threshold tend to score lower on these
Quick answers
- Which state has the highest Prevailing Wage Threshold?
- Colorado has the highest Prevailing Wage Threshold in 2023, at $500,000, followed by Virginia ($250,000) and Maryland ($250,000).
- Which state has the lowest Prevailing Wage Threshold?
- Rhode Island has the lowest Prevailing Wage Threshold in 2023, at $1,000.
- What is the median Prevailing Wage Threshold across US states?
- The median is $55,000 across the 22 US states with data in 2023.
- Where does this prevailing wages by state data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: Dollar Threshold Amount for Contract Coverage - US Department of Labor.