Salary
Average Salary: $48,000
Expected Lifetime Earnings: $2,003,904
Considering how easily you could end up squished beneath something heavy in this job, you sure don't get paid much. Your basic demolition man earns around $40,000 a year (source) for ripping up and hauling away old building materials. (You can get exposed to asbestos for free, though.)
That's for the basic, early career demo contractor. If you're further along or the person on the crew who actually knows how to blow old infrastructure up, your pay will be slightly better, at about $50,000 a year (source).
While salaries like these aren't likely to buy you a lifestyle with the three-bedroom house and three kids, there are ways you can make more money as a demolition contractor. Specifically, you can start your own demolition business.
A manual demolition company (remember, this is the kind of demolition that involves the use of hand tools, rather than heavy machinery) requires an initial investment of $2,000 to $10,000. Not only will you be paying for sledgehammers and the like, you'll also have to purchase various types of insurance, including general liability, workers' compensation, and demolition insurance.
As the owner of a small business, you won't just make your money from pulling stuff down. You can also resell the more valuable materials you pick up at your demolition sites for some extra cash.
Of course, entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, and you may live in an area where there isn't a lot of manual demolition work to be done. You'll want to do your research before sinking your money into a firm of your own.