What 42 skilled trades pay across 393 U.S. metros, where that pay goes furthest, which trades are growing and which are safest. Every figure comes from public government data, updated October 15, 2026. Journalists, schools and unions are welcome to cite it with a link.
Highest and lowest paying trades
Across 393 metros, elevator installers lead with a typical metro median of $108,250, while landscapers sit at $37,540. That's a gap of $70,710 a year between the top and bottom of the trades.
See all 42 trades ranked for the full list.
Did pay keep up with inflation?
Prices rose about 25% from May 2020 to May 2025. The typical trade's metro pay rose 21% over the same stretch, trailing inflation. The biggest gains went to fence installers (+28%), construction laborers (+27%), elevator installers (+27%) and landscapers (+26%), while wind turbine technicians (+12%), flooring installers (+11%) and telecom equipment installers (+10%) grew the least.
Fastest-growing trades
BLS projects these trades to add jobs fastest from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%):
- Solar Installer: +36.5%, about 4,200 openings a year
- Wind Turbine Technician: +29.5%, about 1,500 openings a year
- Industrial Machinery Mechanic: +17.8%, about 44,400 openings a year
- HVAC Technician: +10.9%, about 40,600 openings a year
- Electrical Lineworker: +10.3%, about 10,900 openings a year
- Tile Setter: +9.8%, about 3,300 openings a year
Not sure which suits you? Rank trades by what matters to you.
Where trade pay is highest, and where it goes furthest
Highest pay across trades
Most buying power after local prices
Only 3 metros make both lists: many high-paying coastal metros lose their edge once prices are counted. Metros with at least 20 trades published, ranked by average percentile across trades. Weight it your way with find my best city.
Safest and most dangerous trades
Highest injury rates
- Telecom Line Installer: 379 per 10,000
- Appliance Repair Technician: 327 per 10,000
- Insulation Installer: 312 per 10,000
- Construction Laborer: 218 per 10,000
- HVAC Technician: 214 per 10,000
Lowest injury rates
- Paving Equipment Operator: 19 per 10,000
- Concrete Finisher: 25 per 10,000
- Rebar Worker: 34 per 10,000
- Welder: 43 per 10,000
- Industrial Machinery Mechanic: 54 per 10,000
Injuries and illnesses serious enough to miss work, per 10,000 full-time workers (BLS, 2023–24). The rate for all U.S. jobs is 87.
Apprenticeships: who finishes
Of apprentices who finished or left a registered program in FY2020–2024, the highest completion rates were in paving equipment operators (94%), riggers (72%), elevator installers (69%) and electrical lineworkers (68%). Union programs finish far more often in most trades; each trade's state pages show the local numbers.
Union membership by state
Hawaii has the highest union membership (24.8% of workers) and South Dakota the lowest (2.3%), against about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Going out on your own
Census counts of one-person businesses show where solo trade work pays and where it's crowded. See the best cities to start a trade business for every trade, then set your rate with the rate calculator.
About this report
Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (history May 2020–2025); inflation: CPI-U May to May. Prices: BEA 2024. Growth: BLS projections 2025–35. Injuries: BLS SOII 2023–24. Apprenticeships: DOL RAPIDS. Unions: BLS 2025. Rankings and averages are PayByTrade calculations; see every source and formula. Suggested citation: “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay 2026, payby.trade/report/.”