Trade directory

Ten skilled trades, compared honestly

Median pay, projected growth, training length and licensing for the trades with the clearest entry paths. Sorted by median pay — but pay is rarely the variable that decides whether you stay.

Trades covered: 10
Wage data: May 2023 national wage estimates
Outlook: 2023–2033 projections

Skilled trades compared by median pay, growth, openings and training length
Trade	Median pay	Range	Growth	Annual openings	Training
Electrician Install and maintain the power, lighting and control systems in homes, businesses and industrial plants.	$61,590$29.61/hr	$38,150 to $104,180	+11%	80,200	4–5 years
Plumber Install and repair the water supply, drainage, gas and fixture systems that keep buildings habitable.	$61,550$29.59/hr	$38,650 to $101,190	+6%	42,600	4–5 years
Industrial Maintenance Technician Keep production equipment running by maintaining mechanical, hydraulic, electrical and control systems.	$61,170$29.41/hr	$39,620 to $90,370	+15%	51,100	4 years for millwright apprenticeships
HVAC Technician Install, service and troubleshoot the heating, cooling, ventilation and refrigeration systems buildings depend on.	$57,300$27.55/hr	$36,700 to $91,600	+9%	42,500	3–5 years
Carpenter Frame, finish and build the structures and interiors of residential and commercial buildings.	$56,350$27.09/hr	$37,040 to $92,700	+4%	79,500	3–4 years
Heavy Equipment Operator Run excavators, dozers, loaders and cranes to move earth and place material on construction sites.	$56,160$27.00/hr	$38,310 to $92,330	+4%	44,500	3–4 years
Machinist Produce precision metal parts using manual and CNC machine tools to engineering tolerances.	$50,840$24.44/hr	$35,910 to $74,670	+2%	39,000	4 years for tool and die
Roofer Install and repair the roof systems that keep water out of residential and commercial buildings.	$50,030$24.05/hr	$35,910 to $78,100	+2%	14,100	3 years
Welder Join metal for structures, pipelines, pressure vessels and manufactured goods to a qualified procedure.	$48,940$23.53/hr	$35,990 to $72,970	+2%	45,800	3–4 years for structural or pipe apprenticeships
Automotive Technician Diagnose and repair the mechanical, electrical and electronic systems in cars and light trucks.	$47,770$22.97/hr	$31,150 to $79,400	+3%	67,700	2–4 years to reach full diagnostic capability

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2023 national wage estimates; employment projections for 2023–2033 projections. Last reviewed September 2026. Local pay varies substantially with union scale, prevailing wage projects and regional demand.

Pay is not the deciding variable

The spread between these medians is smaller than the spread within any single trade. What actually determines whether you stay is conditions: weather exposure, on-call rotations, travel, and how the work treats your body over twenty years.

Match trades to how you want to work

The biggest earnings jump is ownership

No occupational wage table captures the move from employee to contractor. It is the single largest factor behind the long right tail in trade earnings, and it is available in every trade on this page.

Compare the cost of entry