What skilled trades pay in Texas, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 37 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $102,140 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Texas pay page.
How Texas compares
5 of the 42 trades we track in Texas pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for telecom line installer (+14%), machinist (+4%) and welder (+2%), and the biggest gaps for fence installer (-23%) and flooring installer (-23%). Prices in Texas's metros run about 9% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,032 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Texas
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $36,740.
Every trade in Texas
| Trade | Median pay | vs. U.S. | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Installer | $102,140 | -6% | 2,030 |
| Electrical Lineworker | $78,940 | -18% | 17,280 |
| Telecom Line Installer | $75,740 | +14% | 9,700 |
| Construction Supervisor | $74,520 | -3% | 90,010 |
| Building Inspector | $64,810 | -4% | 18,230 |
| Wind Turbine Technician | $61,950 | -2% | 3,890 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | $61,930 | -3% | 56,950 |
| Plumber | $59,840 | -3% | 44,090 |
| Telecom Equipment Installer | $59,370 | -5% | 13,440 |
| Machinist | $59,180 | +4% | 21,700 |
| Diesel Mechanic | $58,810 | -3% | 29,870 |
| Electrician | $58,570 | -6% | 76,770 |
| HVAC Technician | $57,760 | -3% | 34,730 |
| Brickmason | $56,410 | -10% | 4,300 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | $54,240 | -12% | 9,540 |
| Welder | $53,340 | +2% | 52,000 |
| Ironworker | $52,240 | -18% | 9,700 |
| Rigger | $51,980 | -14% | 3,770 |
| Auto Body Repairer | $51,700 | +0% | 14,070 |
| Plasterer | $51,140 | -13% | 1,400 |
| Rebar Worker | $50,650 | -11% | 3,640 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | $50,460 | -15% | 55,540 |
| Carpenter | $48,900 | -13% | 33,540 |
| Insulation Installer | $48,740 | +1% | 7,120 |
| Appliance Repair Technician | $48,630 | -4% | 2,200 |
| Auto Mechanic | $48,310 | -1% | 69,750 |
| Solar Installer | $48,240 | -17% | 5,270 |
| Glazier | $47,730 | -14% | 5,850 |
| Drywall Installer | $47,590 | -12% | 5,760 |
| Concrete Finisher | $47,500 | -17% | 26,430 |
| Paving Equipment Operator | $47,060 | -6% | 3,940 |
| Tile Setter | $47,030 | -7% | 1,260 |
| Maintenance Technician | $46,670 | -3% | 140,580 |
| Roofer | $46,030 | -8% | 5,740 |
| Painter | $45,460 | -5% | 18,330 |
| Hazmat Removal Worker | $44,390 | -8% | 4,450 |
| Septic & Sewer Technician | $43,860 | -14% | 2,430 |
| Flooring Installer | $43,070 | -23% | 1,480 |
| Construction Laborer | $40,620 | -13% | 123,250 |
| Pest Control Technician | $37,660 | -15% | 9,470 |
| Fence Installer | $37,270 | -23% | 1,800 |
| Landscaper | $36,740 | -2% | 63,430 |
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: 140,580 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 123,250 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 90,010 jobs
- Electrician: 76,770 jobs
- Auto Mechanic: 69,750 jobs
Texas metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Abilene: +39.5% (5,512 workers)
- Amarillo: +17.3% (9,003 workers)
- Killeen: +9.4% (9,084 workers)
- Corpus Christi: +6.8% (24,979 workers)
- El Paso: +5.1% (16,649 workers)
- San Antonio: +4.8% (70,356 workers)
- Odessa: +4.3% (7,273 workers)
- Austin: +4.2% (88,945 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
4.9% of Texas workers belong to a union (5.8% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Texas who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in welder (69%), construction laborer (67%) and industrial machinery mechanic (64%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 2,329 wage cases against construction employers in Texas, recovering $28,119,851 in back wages for 19,639 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, federal OSHA opened 1,721 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 18% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (82 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 Texas metros with the most federal major disasters are Beaumont (9), Austin (9) and Houston (9) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Texas, 898 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 Texas?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $102,140 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and telecom line installer.
Which trade has the most jobs in Texas?
maintenance technicians, with about 140,580 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and construction supervisors.
Which Texas city pays the trades best?
Austin, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Midland.
Is construction hiring growing in Texas?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 39.5% from a year earlier in Abilene, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and down 12.3% in Beaumont.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Texas 2026, payby.trade/report/tx/.”