In short
- Free to use for your own decisions.
- Figures are statistical estimates, not guaranteed pay.
- Calculators are planning tools, not financial, tax, legal or career advice.
- Quote a few figures with a link back; don't copy or scrape the site.
Last updated October 16, 2026.
Using the site
PayByTrade is free to read and use for your own career, pay and business decisions. By using it, you agree to these terms.
Government data
Wages, rents, prices, projections and other figures come from public U.S. government sources, listed on every page and on our data page. That underlying public data remains free to use from its original sources.
What the numbers mean
Published wages are statistical estimates from government surveys. They describe typical pay for a group of workers, not what any person will earn. Real pay, rent burden, rankings, grades and scores are our calculations from that data. Calculator results depend entirely on the assumptions you enter and are planning estimates, not personalized financial, tax, legal or employment advice. Check important details, such as licensing requirements, with the official agency.
Our work
The site's design, written text, calculations, rankings, scorecards, tools, software and the way the data is selected, combined and presented belong to PayByTrade. You may quote a few figures with a link to the page they came from. You may not copy pages, republish the site or its compilation, or use scrapers or bulk downloaders to collect its content without written permission. Search engines and AI assistants may index and cite pages with a link back.
Calculators and tools
The rate calculator, offer check, 1099 vs. W-2 comparison, affordability budget and other tools are planning aids. They use simplified assumptions that each tool explains on its page, such as a flat 7.65% for the employer half of Social Security and Medicare. They aren't tax, legal, financial or employment advice; check important decisions with a qualified professional.
Licensing and safety figures
Contractor license counts and OSHA injury and fatality figures summarize public records at the time we downloaded them. Licenses change daily, so always confirm a specific contractor's status with the state board. Industry-level safety counts cover everyone at those employers, not only one trade.
Acceptable use
Please browse normally. Automated scraping, bulk downloading, mirroring the site or overloading it with requests isn't permitted, and we may block traffic that does this. Search engines and AI assistants that follow standard crawling rules are welcome.
Links
Links to other websites are provided for convenience. We're not responsible for their content, accuracy or availability.
No warranty
The site is provided as is. We work to keep it accurate and current, but we can't guarantee every figure is error-free or up to date, and we aren't liable for decisions made using it.
Changes to these terms
We may update these terms as the site grows. The date at the top of this page shows the latest version, and continuing to use the site means you accept it.
Questions and permissions
For questions or permission requests, see the contact page.