What skilled trades pay in North Carolina, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $107,700 median. For every trade and metro, start from the North Carolina pay page.
How North Carolina compares
4 of the 41 trades we track in North Carolina pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for wind turbine technician (+5%), telecom equipment installer (+3%) and landscaper (+1%), and the biggest gaps for solar installer (-25%) and ironworker (-24%). Prices in North Carolina's metros run about 8% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,168 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in North Carolina
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $37,910.
Every trade in North Carolina
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: 43,440 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 35,620 jobs
- Landscaper: 32,730 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 32,460 jobs
- Auto Mechanic: 26,510 jobs
North Carolina metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Wilmington: +6.0% (15,088 workers)
- Raleigh: +3.1% (54,827 workers)
- Charlotte: +2.9% (68,918 workers)
- Asheville: -0.6% (7,585 workers)
- Greensboro: -1.6% (18,687 workers)
- Fayetteville: -7.7% (5,794 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
2.5% of North Carolina workers belong to a union (3.1% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in North Carolina who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in paving equipment operator (98%), diesel mechanic (90%) and heavy equipment operator (78%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 395 wage cases against construction employers in North Carolina, recovering $6,297,035 in back wages for 4,078 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, North Carolina's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 997 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 20% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (48 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 North Carolina metros with the most federal major disasters are Charlotte (12), Wilmington (7) and Winston (6) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In North Carolina, 622 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 North Carolina?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $107,700 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and construction supervisor.
Which trade has the most jobs in North Carolina?
maintenance technicians, with about 43,440 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and landscapers.
Which North Carolina city pays the trades best?
Charlotte, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Durham.
Is construction hiring growing in North Carolina?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 6.0% from a year earlier in Wilmington, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and down 7.7% in Fayetteville.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in North Carolina 2026, payby.trade/report/nc/.”