Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Boston
Skilled-trade workers in Boston, MA earn an average median wage of $79,727 across 42 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 152, that translates to roughly $52,452 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $156,590.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Boston
Boston's cost-of-living index of 152 is well above the U.S. average — roughly 52% more expensive to live there than in a typical American city. Housing is the dominant driver in nearly every high-COL metro, with groceries, transportation, and services compounding the gap. Trades workers in Boston need substantially higher nominal pay to match the purchasing power of a journeyman in a mid-cost metro.
The single highest-paying trade in Boston is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $156,590 per BLS OEWS data. Elevator Mechanic ranks second at $143,180 — a gap of $13,410 between #1 and #2. Wider gaps usually signal a specialty trade with steep certification or experience requirements; narrower gaps indicate broad-based wage strength across multiple skilled occupations in the metro.
Boston's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 52, a middle-of-the-pack C grade. Some trades in the metro deliver strong real pay; others are dragged down by either weak nominal wages or cost-of-living offsets. Use the table below to identify the trades where Boston compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Boston
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $156,590 | $103,860 – $218,500 | B | 6,970 |
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $143,180 | $67,320 – $148,880 | B | 0 |
| Pile Driver Operator | Heavy Equipment | $118,960 | $85,020 – $121,590 | C | 170 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $115,430 | $80,580 – $124,760 | B | 1,420 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $115,430 | $80,580 – $124,760 | B | 1,420 |
| Glazier | Construction | $105,080 | $60,680 – $108,730 | C | 1,170 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $95,690 | $60,310 – $131,030 | C | 1,410 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $91,880 | $61,360 – $131,310 | D | 730 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $85,810 | $63,270 – $112,490 | D | 110 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $83,640 | $48,170 – $140,870 | C | 11,320 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $83,640 | $48,170 – $140,870 | C | 11,320 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $83,640 | $48,170 – $140,870 | C | 11,320 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $83,640 | $48,170 – $140,870 | C | 11,320 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $83,450 | $47,970 – $128,660 | C | 12,540 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $80,880 | $53,830 – $103,860 | D | 0 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $79,560 | $49,050 – $107,170 | D | 2,950 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $79,020 | $46,130 – $107,500 | C | 580 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $77,600 | $50,110 – $121,350 | C | 5,760 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $77,600 | $50,110 – $121,350 | C | 5,760 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $75,980 | $58,760 – $148,170 | D | 330 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $75,730 | $52,490 – $94,770 | F | 350 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $73,800 | $47,820 – $121,940 | D | 13,030 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $73,680 | $51,290 – $126,020 | D | 6,740 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $73,170 | $51,190 – $104,150 | C | 4,460 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $72,290 | $50,920 – $94,290 | D | 2,790 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $71,400 | $48,540 – $80,550 | D | 500 |
| Roofer | Construction | $70,710 | $40,080 – $99,080 | D | 1,290 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $69,040 | $38,340 – $119,790 | D | 0 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $65,790 | $47,320 – $99,250 | D | 1,130 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $65,470 | $48,530 – $77,350 | D | 0 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $64,160 | $47,450 – $112,540 | F | 650 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $63,600 | $47,830 – $89,280 | F | 5,210 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $62,670 | $47,650 – $102,280 | D | 360 |
| Welder | Welding | $62,240 | $47,410 – $84,230 | D | 2,270 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $62,240 | $47,410 – $84,230 | D | 2,270 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $62,240 | $47,410 – $84,230 | D | 2,270 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $59,390 | $38,410 – $84,190 | D | 9,220 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $57,960 | $38,580 – $80,370 | D | 19,530 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $57,150 | $44,470 – $89,630 | D | 460 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $56,810 | $39,260 – $89,860 | F | 3,550 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $56,180 | $49,220 – $79,230 | F | 290 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $56,100 | $38,750 – $83,440 | D | 150 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure on this page comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, published annually at bls.gov/oes. BLS surveys hundreds of thousands of employers per release; the resulting percentile wages (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th) are the gold standard for U.S. wage benchmarking. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%); read the full methodology.
Career outlook data — projected employment growth through 2032, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in the Boston area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Boston?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in Boston, MA, with a median annual wage of $156,590. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $218,500, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $103,860. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Boston?
The average median wage across all 42 skilled trades tracked in Boston is $79,727. With a cost-of-living index of 152, that converts to $52,452 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Boston growing?
Five-year wage growth across Boston's tracked trades varies by occupation — energy and electrification trades have generally posted the strongest gains, while general construction labor has tracked closer to inflation. Detailed projected employment growth through 2032 for each trade is published in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Where can I find apprenticeships in Boston?
Registered apprenticeship programs are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov site at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/. You can filter by city, state, and occupation. Most skilled trades require 3-5 years of registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay; the per-trade pages on TradeWages list typical year-by-year apprentice pay as a percentage of journeyman scale.
How does pay in Boston compare to other metros?
Boston's average Trade Pay Score is 52/100, a mid-tier grade. The score combines nominal pay, 5-year wage growth, employment depth, and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power, so it captures both how much you earn and how far that income goes locally. Compare Boston against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Boston, MA earn an average median wage of $79,727 across 42 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 152, that translates to roughly $52,452 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $156,590.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.