A prevailing wage is the minimum hourly rate, including fringe benefits, that contractors and subcontractors must pay workers on government-funded projects, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor or a state equivalent.
Every dollar the federal government spends on a construction project carries a choice: will it lift the local workforce, or will it undercut it? That's the fundamental question behind prevailing wage laws, and the answer shapes the livelihoods of millions of construction workers across the country.