What skilled trades pay in Wisconsin, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 39 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is rebar worker at a $121,620 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Wisconsin pay page.
How Wisconsin compares
33 of the 41 trades we track in Wisconsin pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for rebar worker (+114%), ironworker (+45%) and paving equipment operator (+38%), and the biggest gaps for elevator installer (-28%) and rigger (-18%). Prices in Wisconsin's metros run about 7% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $998 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Wisconsin
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is landscaper at $41,230.
Every trade in Wisconsin
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: 30,880 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 20,330 jobs
- Landscaper: 18,970 jobs
- Welder: 15,320 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 15,150 jobs
Wisconsin metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
- Oshkosh: +8.5% (5,655 workers)
- Green Bay: +7.4% (9,317 workers)
- Milwaukee: +5.5% (38,071 workers)
- Madison: +5.4% (20,737 workers)
- Appleton: +5.3% (9,776 workers)
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
6.4% of Wisconsin workers belong to a union (7.5% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Wisconsin who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in glazier (82%), heavy equipment operator (75%) and telecom line installer (75%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 102 wage cases against construction employers in Wisconsin, recovering $3,430,238 in back wages for 4,346 workers.
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 605 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 18% 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 Wisconsin metros with the most federal major disasters are La Crosse (9), Milwaukee (4) and Appleton (3) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Wisconsin, 492 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 Wisconsin?
Rebar Worker pays the most of the trades we track, with a $121,620 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and ironworker.
Which trade has the most jobs in Wisconsin?
maintenance technicians, with about 30,880 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and landscapers.
Which Wisconsin city pays the trades best?
Madison, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Milwaukee.
Is construction hiring growing in Wisconsin?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 8.5% from a year earlier in Oshkosh, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and up 5.3% in Appleton.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Wisconsin 2026, payby.trade/report/wi/.”