What skilled trades pay in Arizona, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is construction supervisor at a $78,550 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Arizona pay page.
How Arizona compares
21 of the 41 trades we track in Arizona pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for industrial machinery mechanic (+17%), telecom equipment installer (+17%) and building inspector (+9%), and the biggest gaps for electrical lineworker (-22%) and flooring installer (-20%). Prices in Arizona's metros run about 3% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,092 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Arizona
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $38,910.
Every trade in Arizona
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Maintenance Technician: 39,000 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 37,630 jobs
- Landscaper: 22,450 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 21,550 jobs
- Electrician: 21,140 jobs
Arizona metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Prescott Valley: +0.7% (5,942 workers)
- Phoenix: -1.1% (177,067 workers)
- Tucson: -5.8% (19,677 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
4.1% of Arizona workers belong to a union (4.5% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Arizona who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in electrical lineworker (84%), industrial machinery mechanic (83%) and telecom line installer (82%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 310 wage cases against construction employers in Arizona, recovering $17,270,879 in back wages for 8,924 workers.offer check and keep your own record of hours.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2026. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, Arizona's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 103 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 62% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (15 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Arizona metros with the most federal major disasters are Flagstaff (1) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Arizona, 244 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in Arizona?
Construction Supervisor pays the most of the trades we track, with a $78,550 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and industrial machinery mechanic.
Which trade has the most jobs in Arizona?
maintenance technicians, with about 39,000 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and landscapers.
Which Arizona city pays the trades best?
Phoenix, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Flagstaff.
Is construction hiring growing in Arizona?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 0.7% from a year earlier in Prescott Valley, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and down 5.8% in Tucson.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Arizona 2026, payby.trade/report/az/.”