Trades Salary Statistics 2026
Electricians in the United States earn a national median wage of $63,190 a year. Across the 111 skilled-trade occupations in SOC groups 47 and 49 the median is $57,550, and 48 of them pay a median of $60,000 or more.
Wage estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Group medians and counts are PayCrunch calculations from those estimates. OEWS excludes the self-employed, who are a large share of some trades.
Pay across the 111 skilled-trade occupations in the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release of May 2025 — the 60 construction and extraction occupations and the 51 installation, maintenance and repair occupations, listed in full below.
Key statistics
Each line is one figure with its source. Quote any of them directly; the citation format is at the foot of the page.
- Electricians in the United States earn a national median wage of $63,190 a year.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters earn a national median of $63,800 a year.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The median of the 111 skilled-trade occupation medians in SOC groups 47 and 49 is $57,550 a year.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- 48 of the 111 skilled-trade occupations pay a national median of $60,000 or more.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The highest-paid skilled trade is elevator and escalator installers and repairers, at a national median of $109,910 a year.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The lowest-paid occupation in the two groups is tire repairers and changers, at a national median of $37,710 a year.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Installation, maintenance and repair has a group median of $60,850, above construction and extraction at $57,235.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- 42 of the 111 skilled-trade occupations pay above the median of all 824 occupational medians, $61,340.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Electrician pay at the 90th percentile is $108,510 a year, against $42,640 at the 10th.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- The best-paying state for electricians is California, where the 90th-percentile wage is $140,340 and OEWS reports 73,310 electricians employed.Source: PayCrunch calculation from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
- Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers — classified in production rather than the trades groups — earn a national median of $53,750 a year.Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025.
Construction and extraction, installation and repair
The skilled trades here are the 111 occupations in SOC major groups 47 and 49: 60 construction and extraction occupations and 51 installation, maintenance and repair occupations. The group median is $57,550, against $61,340 across all 824 occupations in the release. 48 of the 111 pay a median of $60,000 or more and 2 pay $100,000 or more.
Electricians have a median of $63,190, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters $63,800. The highest-paid trade in the release is elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $109,910.
| Occupation▲ | SOC▲ | Entry (10th pct)▲ | Median▲ | Top of range (90th pct)▲ | Best-paying state▲ | 90th pct there▲ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | 47-4021 | $59,270 | $109,910 | $158,890 | Nevada | $174,710 |
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay | 49-2095 | $65,730 | $103,020 | $129,920 | California | $165,540 |
| Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | 49-9051 | $51,470 | $95,320 | $128,690 | California | $167,090 |
| Signal and Track Switch Repairers | 49-9097 | $62,610 | $92,460 | $119,550 | Illinois | $125,340 |
| Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment | 49-2093 | $50,750 | $84,890 | $116,810 | California | $122,590 |
| Avionics Technicians | 49-2091 | $49,410 | $82,280 | $113,680 | Florida | $134,060 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 47-1011 | $53,280 | $79,920 | $128,260 | Washington | $167,120 |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 49-3011 | $48,780 | $79,870 | $128,890 | New York | $240,310 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | 49-1011 | $49,600 | $79,860 | $126,790 | California | $154,820 |
| Roof Bolters, Mining | 47-5043 | $63,750 | $78,540 | $92,830 | West Virginia | $90,720 |
| Boilermakers | 47-2011 | $50,490 | $76,410 | $110,370 | California | $136,900 |
| Terrazzo Workers and Finishers | 47-2053 | $46,090 | $76,170 | $126,130 | national figure | $126,130 |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | 47-4011 | $47,140 | $74,690 | $114,200 | California | $161,550 |
| Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | 47-5044 | $52,030 | $74,500 | $87,730 | Nevada | $91,880 |
| Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door | 49-9012 | $45,910 | $74,340 | $112,500 | California | $137,030 |
| Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | 49-9052 | $45,310 | $74,330 | $103,680 | New York | $120,090 |
| Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | 49-2094 | $46,840 | $74,090 | $105,590 | North Dakota | $133,840 |
| Pile Driver Operators | 47-2072 | $48,790 | $73,300 | $124,600 | national figure | $124,600 |
| Commercial Divers | 49-9092 | $43,330 | $72,990 | $157,790 | national figure | $157,790 |
| Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other | 47-5049 | $49,020 | $70,130 | $85,010 | Minnesota | $85,010 |
| Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators | 47-4061 | $45,640 | $70,070 | $87,420 | Massachusetts | $101,350 |
| Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other | 49-9069 | $40,140 | $68,990 | $102,990 | California | $116,730 |
| Tapers | 47-2082 | $43,670 | $68,270 | $107,110 | Massachusetts | $115,390 |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 47-5012 | $47,010 | $67,890 | $101,860 | Texas | $121,470 |
| Rail Car Repairers | 49-3043 | $46,800 | $67,530 | $95,100 | Massachusetts | $119,060 |
| Watch and Clock Repairers | 49-9064 | $34,240 | $67,230 | $109,990 | national figure | $109,990 |
| Millwrights | 49-9044 | $46,290 | $65,700 | $93,600 | Washington | $129,370 |
| Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines | 49-3042 | $46,820 | $65,510 | $94,460 | California | $129,310 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 49-9041 | $46,120 | $64,520 | $95,170 | Hawaii | $117,520 |
| Wind Turbine Service Technicians | 49-9081 | $49,230 | $64,120 | $92,460 | Iowa | $100,410 |
| Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers | 49-2022 | $44,240 | $63,890 | $96,730 | California | $113,240 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 47-2152 | $44,150 | $63,800 | $108,420 | Oregon | $147,100 |
| Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers | 49-2021 | $44,460 | $63,520 | $103,990 | New Jersey | $103,920 |
| Electricians | 47-2111 | $42,640 | $63,190 | $108,510 | California | $140,340 |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | 47-2221 | $44,580 | $62,780 | $108,260 | New Jersey | $130,710 |
| Riggers | 49-9096 | $40,680 | $62,640 | $97,850 | New York | $129,780 |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 47-2021 | $44,820 | $62,120 | $100,010 | Massachusetts | $136,860 |
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | 47-5041 | $46,770 | $61,810 | $86,210 | Nevada | $91,210 |
| Sheet Metal Workers | 47-2211 | $38,630 | $61,800 | $105,650 | Washington | $149,260 |
| Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists | 49-3031 | $44,530 | $61,770 | $88,740 | Washington | $102,800 |
| Medical Equipment Repairers | 49-9062 | $38,490 | $61,660 | $98,280 | California | $129,810 |
| Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters | 47-5032 | $40,480 | $61,390 | $99,360 | national figure | $99,360 |
| Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons | 49-9045 | $40,590 | $61,290 | $86,510 | national figure | $86,510 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | 49-9021 | $40,050 | $61,010 | $95,210 | Washington | $120,360 |
| Maintenance Workers, Machinery | 49-9043 | $42,000 | $60,850 | $88,550 | Kentucky | $162,460 |
| Carpenters | 47-2031 | $40,410 | $60,580 | $99,910 | Alaska | $151,530 |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 47-5023 | $44,460 | $60,190 | $83,800 | New York | $96,910 |
| Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers | 49-2098 | $38,800 | $60,070 | $81,150 | Massachusetts | $103,820 |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 47-2073 | $42,190 | $59,850 | $101,090 | New York | $144,920 |
| Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers | 47-2171 | $43,310 | $58,970 | $104,540 | New York | $134,310 |
| Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers | 47-2081 | $38,460 | $58,930 | $102,010 | Washington | $127,970 |
| Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas | 47-5011 | $43,380 | $58,620 | $81,800 | Louisiana | $98,840 |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | 47-2132 | $42,470 | $58,340 | $100,220 | California | $165,540 |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas | 47-5013 | $38,940 | $58,160 | $97,560 | Alaska | $182,740 |
| Plasterers and Stucco Masons | 47-2161 | $39,560 | $57,660 | $96,710 | Nevada | $102,570 |
| Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians | 49-3051 | $36,950 | $57,550 | $79,330 | Massachusetts | $94,500 |
| Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | 47-5022 | $41,600 | $57,430 | $82,400 | California | $142,600 |
| Stonemasons | 47-2022 | $39,300 | $57,390 | $86,180 | California | $99,680 |
| Glaziers | 47-2121 | $37,300 | $57,080 | $89,790 | Washington | $131,280 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 47-2051 | $39,190 | $57,020 | $85,480 | Washington | $125,720 |
| Extraction Workers, All Other | 47-5099 | $37,530 | $57,010 | $82,160 | Louisiana | $97,170 |
| Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians | 49-3041 | $37,470 | $56,550 | $78,740 | Arizona | $98,590 |
| Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles | 47-2042 | $37,600 | $56,460 | $96,700 | New Jersey | $137,100 |
| Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers | 49-2092 | $37,100 | $56,210 | $85,200 | Illinois | $115,250 |
| Mechanical Door Repairers | 49-9011 | $38,490 | $55,720 | $78,260 | Florida | $93,080 |
| Tile and Stone Setters | 47-2044 | $37,140 | $55,690 | $86,110 | Nevada | $117,690 |
| Roofers | 47-2181 | $37,460 | $55,440 | $81,720 | Illinois | $106,530 |
| Automotive Body and Related Repairers | 49-3021 | $36,910 | $54,890 | $87,940 | Washington | $133,140 |
| Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators | 47-2071 | $38,230 | $53,340 | $92,230 | California | $130,120 |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installers | 47-2231 | $41,600 | $53,140 | $79,970 | New Jersey | $102,050 |
| Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers | 49-9061 | $34,320 | $52,720 | $83,940 | national figure | $83,940 |
| Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers | 49-2097 | $36,760 | $52,600 | $84,190 | California | $104,890 |
| Paperhangers | 47-2142 | $36,020 | $52,140 | $69,050 | national figure | $69,050 |
| Recreational Vehicle Service Technicians | 49-3092 | $36,120 | $52,000 | $77,960 | Arizona | $110,680 |
| Locksmiths and Safe Repairers | 49-9094 | $35,530 | $51,320 | $79,400 | California | $93,030 |
| Home Appliance Repairers | 49-9031 | $36,190 | $50,990 | $80,660 | New Jersey | $105,620 |
| Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | 49-3023 | $34,660 | $50,620 | $81,790 | Washington | $95,620 |
| Floor Sanders and Finishers | 47-2043 | $37,070 | $50,440 | $70,340 | national figure | $70,340 |
| Carpet Installers | 47-2041 | $35,450 | $50,340 | $82,140 | Illinois | $116,300 |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | 47-4051 | $36,230 | $50,260 | $71,970 | Illinois | $100,790 |
| Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers | 47-4090 | $36,510 | $49,910 | $78,700 | New Jersey | $118,120 |
| Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | 47-4071 | $37,040 | $49,880 | $73,490 | Washington | $83,830 |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 49-9071 | $35,350 | $49,590 | $77,180 | Alaska | $90,900 |
| Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 47-4041 | $38,460 | $49,450 | $82,410 | New Jersey | $107,570 |
| Painters, Construction and Maintenance | 47-2141 | $37,440 | $49,400 | $78,810 | New York | $111,550 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers, All Other | 49-9099 | $36,080 | $49,230 | $77,040 | Hawaii | $101,190 |
| Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall | 47-2131 | $37,030 | $49,120 | $78,190 | Washington | $132,770 |
| Pipelayers | 47-2151 | $37,730 | $49,000 | $80,170 | California | $108,790 |
| Rock Splitters, Quarry | 47-5051 | $37,340 | $48,740 | $67,710 | national figure | $67,710 |
| Motorcycle Mechanics | 49-3052 | $34,770 | $48,580 | $74,400 | California | $76,070 |
| Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers, Motor Vehicles | 49-2096 | $35,590 | $48,420 | $70,170 | California | $88,330 |
| Fence Erectors | 47-4031 | $35,810 | $47,980 | $70,010 | Illinois | $81,310 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics | 49-3053 | $34,670 | $47,880 | $67,260 | Massachusetts | $78,720 |
| Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers | 49-2011 | $35,910 | $47,810 | $71,730 | Minnesota | $78,660 |
| Helpers--Extraction Workers | 47-5081 | $36,960 | $47,730 | $68,020 | California | $62,060 |
| Automotive Glass Installers and Repairers | 49-3022 | $35,390 | $47,630 | $70,650 | Washington | $81,060 |
| Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | 47-3011 | $36,230 | $47,550 | $70,080 | New York | $103,210 |
| Coin, Vending, and Amusement Machine Servicers and Repairers | 49-9091 | $34,320 | $47,450 | $66,370 | New York | $93,810 |
| Construction Laborers | 47-2061 | $35,090 | $47,120 | $78,090 | New Jersey | $106,140 |
| Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 47-5071 | $36,420 | $46,960 | $64,530 | California | $83,930 |
| Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners | 49-9063 | $31,220 | $46,420 | $71,600 | Texas | $99,060 |
| Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installers | 49-9095 | $27,120 | $45,990 | $60,810 | Texas | $48,240 |
| Helpers--Roofers | 47-3016 | $30,140 | $44,160 | $62,400 | California | $76,360 |
| Helpers--Carpenters | 47-3012 | $31,660 | $43,780 | $57,670 | California | $76,080 |
| Bicycle Repairers | 49-3091 | $31,220 | $42,780 | $55,000 | Arizona | $59,180 |
| Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other | 47-3019 | $32,900 | $42,670 | $60,080 | New York | $103,830 |
| Helpers--Electricians | 47-3013 | $33,020 | $42,670 | $58,340 | Washington | $102,680 |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 47-3015 | $33,590 | $42,360 | $57,780 | Washington | $78,980 |
| Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | 47-3014 | $31,200 | $40,470 | $52,000 | California | $59,730 |
| Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Workers | 49-9098 | $29,310 | $39,630 | $55,890 | Connecticut | $82,480 |
| Tire Repairers and Changers | 49-3093 | $30,010 | $37,710 | $50,230 | Nevada | $63,730 |
All 111 occupations in SOC major groups 47 and 49. National figures, BLS OEWS May 2025. Click a column to re-sort; type to filter.
Construction against maintenance and repair
The two groups are close but not identical. Construction and extraction has a median of $57,235 across 60 occupations; installation, maintenance and repair $60,850 across 51. Repair work has the higher median; construction has the higher single figure, $109,910 for elevator and escalator installers and repairers against $103,020 for electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay.
Welding and the production trades
Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers are classified in production, SOC 51, rather than in either trades group, so they are not in the table above. Their national median is $53,750, with a 10th percentile of $39,240 and a 90th percentile of $77,530. The best-paying state is Alaska at $109,940 for the 90th percentile.
How to cite this page
Ready to paste:
PayCrunch (2026). Trades Salary Statistics 2026. Aggregated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://paycrunch.co/stats/trades-salary-statistics.html (accessed 31 August 2026).
For a single figure, name the occupation and the release — for example: “registered nurses earned a median of $97,550 a year (BLS, OEWS May 2025, via PayCrunch)”. Please credit the Bureau of Labor Statistics as well as PayCrunch: the wage estimates are theirs, and the aggregation is ours. Figures on this page were last recomputed on 31 August 2026 from the May 2025 release.
Method
Source
Every wage figure on this page comes from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release of May 2025, published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. No figure here is a PayCrunch estimate. What PayCrunch contributes is the aggregation: the counts, medians, means and rankings across occupations are computed from that release and are labelled as PayCrunch calculations wherever they appear.
What the three figures mean
Entry is the annual 10th percentile wage for the occupation nationally. Median is the 50th percentile. Top of range is the annual 90th percentile — the wage level below which 90 percent of the estimated wage distribution for that occupation falls. None of the three is a ceiling, a promise, or a statement about any individual.
The state figures
Where a state is named as best-paying, it is the state with the highest annual 90th-percentile wage among states that OEWS reports employing at least 500 people in that occupation. That employment floor is PayCrunch's rule, not the BLS's; it exists because unfiltered state estimates are frequently drawn from very small samples. The best-paying states dataset documents the floor in full and publishes the unfiltered answer alongside the filtered one for every occupation.
Rebuilding these numbers
The script that computes every figure on this page is .github/stats-engine/build_stats.py in the PayCrunch repository. It reads two files, /data/open/best-paying-states.json and the occupation page dataset, and regenerates all eight statistics pages. Nothing on this page is typed by hand.
Limitations
- OEWS is a survey. Every figure carries sampling error, and the error is largest where the occupation is smallest. BLS publishes relative standard errors alongside the estimates.
- These are occupational aggregates, not worker aggregates. Statistics here summarise the 824 occupation-level estimates, giving each occupation equal weight. They are not employment-weighted, so they do not describe the average American worker and should not be quoted as if they did.
- The 90th percentile is not a maximum. It is a point on a wage distribution. Pay above it exists.
- No cost-of-living adjustment. All figures are nominal annual wages.
- Wage and salary employment only. OEWS excludes the self-employed, so occupations with many independent workers are under-covered.
- SOC titles are classification labels, not job titles as employers use them, and one SOC code can cover several distinct jobs.
- One release only. These are May 2025 figures; OEWS releases are not straightforwardly comparable across years.
Frequently asked questions
Pay for individual occupations
PayCrunch pages for skilled trades, each with its BLS entry, median and top-of-range figures and the best-paying state.
The full dataset behind these figures is on the best-paying states page, and every occupation is queryable through the PayCrunch API. All occupation pages →