Tunnel Worker prevailing wage in McDowell County, West Virginia

$43.85an hour, base wage + fringe benefits (our sum)

$27.35 base wage + $16.50 fringe benefits · LABO0379-043

McDowell County uses the same tunnel worker rates as 22 other counties. See all of them on one page.

On federally funded or assisted heavy construction in McDowell County, a tunnel worker must be paid at least $43.85 an hour: a $27.35 base wage plus $16.50 in fringe benefits, under wage determination WV20260061 (modification 1). DOL prints no total, so $43.85 is our sum of the two.

Wage determination WV20260061, modification 1, published May 18, 2026, for heavy construction; rate identifier LABO0379-043 (December 1, 2021). Checked against sam.gov on October 25, 2026.

Davis-Bacon is the only prevailing wage here (federally funded or assisted work). West Virginia repealed its law in 2016 (HB 4005; DOL state table).

Base wage and fringe benefits: $27.35 + $16.50

The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. DOL prints the fringe benefits as one hourly figure, not itemized; it can go to health, pension, vacation and training plans, or be paid as cash where the state allows.

Base wage (taxable)	$27.35
Fringe benefits (one figure, not itemized)	$16.50
Base + fringe benefits (our sum; DOL prints no total)	$43.85

When does this rate change?

A contract keeps the wage determination in its bid documents. Modifications published before bid opening apply to it, though one published less than 10 days before can be left out if the agency finds there isn't time to tell bidders (29 CFR 1.6(c)).
DOL changes a WD by publishing a numbered modification on SAM.gov. This page reads the modification named in the Source line; the West Virginia change log lists what each one changed.

How McDowell County compares

The main tunnel worker rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and nearby. All bars use the same scale.

Every county in West Virginia

Wage and fringe benefits, nearby

McDowell Countybase $27.35$43.85
Wyoming Countybase $27.35$43.85
Mercer Countybase $27.35$43.85
Logan Countybase $27.35$43.85

Tunnel Worker rates in nearby counties

Current DOL rates. Davis-Bacon rates are set for groups of counties, so neighbours often share them; the county where the work is done decides.

DOL's tunnel worker rates for McDowell County are the same as in 22 other counties: Barbour, Braxton, Calhoun, Fayette, Gilmer, Greenbrier, Jackson, Lewis and 14 more.

County	Classification	Base wage	Total rate	vs McDowell County
McDowell County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85
Wyoming County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85	same
Mercer County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85	same
Logan County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85	same
Raleigh County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85	same
Mingo County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85	same
Summers County	LABORER: GROUP 1 TUNNEL DRILLER, TUNNEL MINER	$27.35	$43.85	same

West Virginia tunnel worker prevailing wage by county, with a map

Are you being paid this rate?

Add your base pay to the fringe your employer pays for you, in cash or into plans, and compare the sum with the total. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division takes complaints: 1-866-487-9243, or dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints.

Source

U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (DOL), wage determination WV20260061 Mod 1, published May 18, 2026: sam.gov/wage-determination/WV20260061/1

We read every active West Virginia Davis-Bacon wage determination from SAM.gov's own data and check every number with a second, independent read of the same file. DOL prints no total; ours is base plus fringe. How we check · Download McDowell County as CSV · Report an error