What skilled trades pay in Puerto Rico, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is electrical lineworker at a $77,050 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Puerto Rico pay page.
How Puerto Rico compares
0 of the 35 trades we track in Puerto Rico pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for brickmason (-18%), electrical lineworker (-20%) and diesel mechanic (-34%), and the biggest gaps for elevator installer (-65%) and glazier (-60%)., and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $502 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Puerto Rico
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $21,910.
Every trade in Puerto Rico
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: 12,560 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 9,820 jobs
- Landscaper: 6,430 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 5,100 jobs
- Auto Mechanic: 3,800 jobs
Puerto Rico metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- San Juan: -3.7% (26,828 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 171 wage cases against construction employers in Puerto Rico, recovering $9,646,532 in back wages for 3,215 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, Puerto Rico's state-run safety program and federal OSHA opened 232 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 19% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (8 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 Puerto Rico metros with the most federal major disasters are San Juan (7), Aguadilla (6) and Arecibo (6) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Puerto Rico, 31 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 Puerto Rico?
Electrical Lineworker pays the most of the trades we track, with a $77,050 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by brickmason and building inspector.
Which trade has the most jobs in Puerto Rico?
maintenance technicians, with about 12,560 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and landscapers.
Which Puerto Rico city pays the trades best?
San Juan, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Aguadilla.
Is construction hiring growing in Puerto Rico?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were down 3.7% from a year earlier in San Juan, the fastest-changing large market in the state.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Puerto Rico 2026, payby.trade/report/pr/.”