What skilled trades pay in Nebraska, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 39 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $117,690 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Nebraska pay page.
How Nebraska compares
17 of the 38 trades we track in Nebraska pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for insulation installer (+51%), septic & sewer technician (+31%) and tile setter (+18%), and the biggest gaps for telecom line installer (-24%) and concrete finisher (-14%). Prices in Nebraska's metros run about 8% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,000 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Nebraska
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is pest control technician at $38,960.
Every trade in Nebraska
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: 9,850 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 8,530 jobs
- Landscaper: 7,280 jobs
- Electrician: 6,440 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 6,020 jobs
Nebraska metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
6.6% of Nebraska workers belong to a union (8.5% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Nebraska who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in HVAC technician (86%), electrical lineworker (80%) and plumber (79%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 79 wage cases against construction employers in Nebraska, recovering $1,571,999 in back wages for 600 workers.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2025. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, federal OSHA opened 136 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 35% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (6 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 Nebraska metros with the most federal major disasters are Omaha (16), Grand Island (7) and Lincoln (4) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Nebraska, 112 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 Nebraska?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $117,690 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and construction supervisor.
Which trade has the most jobs in Nebraska?
maintenance technicians, with about 9,850 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and landscapers.
Which Nebraska city pays the trades best?
Omaha, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Lincoln.
Is construction hiring growing in Nebraska?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 7.9% from a year earlier in Omaha, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and up 1.3% in Lincoln.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Nebraska 2026, payby.trade/report/ne/.”