What skilled trades pay in Nevada, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $141,950 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Nevada pay page.
How Nevada compares
28 of the 41 trades we track in Nevada pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for rebar worker (+80%), rigger (+35%) and elevator installer (+31%), and the biggest gaps for sheet metal worker (-24%) and glazier (-10%). Prices in Nevada's metros run about 0% above the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,419 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Nevada
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $38,820.
Every trade in Nevada
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: 16,520 jobs
- Carpenter: 12,700 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 11,890 jobs
- Landscaper: 9,980 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 9,680 jobs
Nevada 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
13.0% of Nevada workers belong to a union (14.3% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Nevada who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in electrical lineworker (75%), sheet metal worker (70%) and diesel mechanic (69%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 142 wage cases against construction employers in Nevada, recovering $6,514,422 in back wages for 5,557 workers.offer check and keep your own record of hours.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2025. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, Nevada's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 300 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 45% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (5 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 Nevada metros with the most federal major disasters are Reno (3) and Carson City (2) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Nevada, 49 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 Nevada?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $141,950 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by rebar worker and electrical lineworker.
Which trade has the most jobs in Nevada?
maintenance technicians, with about 16,520 jobs statewide, followed by carpenters and construction laborers.
Which Nevada city pays the trades best?
Carson City, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Reno.
Is construction hiring growing in Nevada?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 8.7% from a year earlier in Reno, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and up 1.2% in Las Vegas.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Nevada 2026, payby.trade/report/nv/.”