Michigan prevailing wage rates

What is the prevailing wage rate in Michigan?

It depends on the trade. Taking each trade's main rate in each county, LEO's figures run from $36.79 an hour (roofer, Lenawee County) to $110.76 (elevator constructor, Alger County). LEO prints one rate that already includes fringe benefits. Pick a county or a trade below for the exact rate.

Rates by trade

Each trade page maps that trade's main rate in every county. Carpenter rates, for example, range from $52.86 to $74.81 an hour.

• Asbestos & Lead Abatement Laborer$56.20
• Boilermaker$79.64
• Bricklayer$55.76–$67.98
• Carpenter$52.86–$74.81
• Carpet & Soft Floor Layer$53.72
• Cement Mason$54.48–$64.56
• Drywall Finisher$45.54–$52.69
• Electrical Utility Lineman$50.85
• Electrician$62.67–$85.79
• Elevator Constructor$98.25–$110.76
• Glazier$46.32–$67.95
• Insulation Applicator$38.17
• Insulator (Heat & Frost / Asbestos Worker)$63.85–$75.97
• Ironworker$68.72–$75.42
• Laborer$38.88–$56.50
• Landscape & Irrigation Laborer$36.87
• Millwright$67.21–$82.65
• Operating Engineer$69.92–$73.64
• Painter$45.29–$57.02
• Pile Driver$52.57–$74.81
• Plasterer$57.16–$62.78
• Plumber / Pipefitter$60.20–$86.36
• Roofer$36.79–$63.23
• Sheet Metal Worker$42.67–$74.96
• Teamster (Truck Driver)$54.10
• Telecommunications Technician$37.16–$61.06
• Terrazzo Worker$52.03–$63.39
• Tile Finisher$46.97–$56.70
• Tile Setter$50.33–$63.39
• Tunnel Worker$52.82–$53.07

How Michigan's prevailing wage rules work

• Which projects. State projects: construction, alteration, repair, painting, demolition or improvement of public buildings, schools, works, bridges, highways or roads, authorized by a public contracting agent and sponsored or financed in whole or part by the State. Since 2025 it also covers energy facility projects of 2 MW or more, private developers included (MCL 408.1101).
• Who must comply. A state officer, school board, board or commission, or a state institution supported by state funds. Local projects are covered only when state money sponsors or finances them. The Act sets no dollar threshold (MCL 408.1101).
• Davis-Bacon jobs are exempt. Contracts that already require federal Davis-Bacon rates, or whose wage schedules equal local collective bargaining rates, are exempt from the Act (MCL 408.1102(1)). On those jobs the federal rate applies, not the higher of the two.
• Rates follow union agreements. LEO sets each rate at the rate that prevails on similar projects in the locality under collective agreements; where none exists it uses the nearest similar locality that has one. Some crafts are split by township (MCL 408.1104).
• One package rate. Each classification has a straight-time, time-and-a-half and double-time rate, each wage and fringe together. LEO doesn't split the wage from the fringe, so these pages don't either, except for a derived estimate marked as one.
• Rates lock at bid, for 90 days. The schedule goes in the specifications and on the bid forms. If the contract isn't awarded or construction undertaken within 90 days of LEO's determination, LEO redetermines the rates before award (MCL 408.1103).
• Overtime. LEO assumes standard overtime unless a classification says otherwise: time and a half over 8 hours a day (unless four 10-hour days are allowed), over 40 a week and on Saturdays; double time on Sundays and recognized holidays (LEO).
• No residential schedule. Operators and laborers have separate Commercial and Highway & Heavy classifications; other crafts have one rate per county.
• Registration and payroll. Contractors and subcontractors need a state project registration ($500 a year) before bidding or working on a state project, post the rates on site and submit certified payroll through the state's system (MCL 408.1102; LEO).