Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Dallas
Skilled-trade workers in Dallas, TX earn an average median wage of $58,064 across 45 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 102, that translates to roughly $56,925 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Elevator Mechanic at $104,470.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Dallas
Dallas's cost-of-living index of 102 is essentially at the U.S. average. Nominal trade wages here are a reasonable proxy for real purchasing power — what you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment needed up or down for COL. That makes Dallas a useful baseline for comparing trade pay across the country.
The single highest-paying trade in Dallas is Elevator Mechanic, with a median wage of $104,470 per BLS OEWS data. Construction Manager ranks second at $100,760 — a gap of $3,710 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.
Dallas's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 56, 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 Dallas compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Dallas
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $104,470 | $60,530 – $115,060 | B | 430 |
| Construction Manager | Management | $100,760 | $62,510 – $167,770 | B | 14,280 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $88,280 | $46,590 – $127,200 | B | 7,180 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $77,860 | $48,180 – $102,790 | B | 3,100 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $77,860 | $48,180 – $102,790 | B | 3,100 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $74,570 | $43,000 – $92,140 | C | 1,380 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $65,220 | $41,090 – $105,840 | B | 2,130 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $63,450 | $45,760 – $105,870 | C | 4,410 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $63,000 | $38,830 – $90,130 | C | 710 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $62,870 | $43,810 – $92,120 | B | 12,240 |
| Wind Turbine Technician | Energy | $62,400 | $47,750 – $76,190 | A | 700 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $60,370 | $38,480 – $82,760 | C | 11,120 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $60,370 | $38,480 – $82,760 | C | 11,120 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $60,370 | $38,480 – $82,760 | C | 11,120 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $60,370 | $38,480 – $82,760 | C | 11,120 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $60,020 | $44,640 – $81,680 | C | 8,990 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $58,590 | $35,900 – $86,850 | D | 6,100 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $58,580 | $39,890 – $101,810 | D | 620 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $57,760 | $38,450 – $80,930 | C | 20,770 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $57,670 | $38,220 – $89,250 | C | 9,980 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $57,670 | $38,220 – $89,250 | C | 9,980 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $57,450 | $38,150 – $72,940 | C | 110 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $57,400 | $39,170 – $79,100 | D | 4,390 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $57,270 | $37,260 – $76,490 | C | 3,220 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $53,910 | $38,440 – $61,120 | D | 1,650 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $53,290 | $34,580 – $83,470 | D | 17,020 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $51,330 | $36,330 – $60,850 | D | 2,190 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $50,080 | $39,760 – $67,920 | D | 12,120 |
| Ironworker | Structural | $49,300 | $37,560 – $60,910 | D | 1,070 |
| Welder | Welding | $49,290 | $37,440 – $76,140 | D | 11,870 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $49,290 | $37,440 – $76,140 | D | 11,870 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $49,290 | $37,440 – $76,140 | D | 11,870 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $48,910 | $36,040 – $62,590 | D | 1,820 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $48,420 | $35,940 – $62,850 | D | 9,840 |
| Glazier | Construction | $48,350 | $37,710 – $64,470 | D | 2,130 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $47,990 | $37,080 – $58,980 | D | 7,650 |
| Roofer | Construction | $47,540 | $37,380 – $64,360 | D | 2,360 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $47,090 | $36,860 – $62,670 | D | 450 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $46,970 | $34,750 – $59,810 | F | 230 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $46,790 | $33,550 – $74,490 | D | 39,830 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $45,750 | $31,450 – $57,770 | F | 490 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $45,370 | $34,320 – $63,270 | D | 410 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $44,550 | $35,390 – $56,610 | F | 5,090 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $43,690 | $30,590 – $57,040 | F | 420 |
| Solar PV Installer | Electrical | $41,050 | $38,670 – $63,870 | B | 1,770 |
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 Dallas area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Dallas?
Elevator Mechanic is the highest-paying skilled trade in Dallas, TX, with a median annual wage of $104,470. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $115,060, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $60,530. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Dallas?
The average median wage across all 45 skilled trades tracked in Dallas is $58,064. With a cost-of-living index of 102, that converts to $56,925 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Dallas growing?
Five-year wage growth across Dallas'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 Dallas?
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 Dallas compare to other metros?
Dallas's average Trade Pay Score is 56/100, 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 Dallas against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Dallas, TX earn an average median wage of $58,064 across 45 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 102, that translates to roughly $56,925 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Elevator Mechanic at $104,470.
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.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.