Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Kansas City
Skilled-trade workers in Kansas City, MO earn an average median wage of $65,570 across 43 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 94, that translates to roughly $69,755 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Elevator Mechanic at $121,960.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Kansas City
Kansas City's cost-of-living index of 94 sits 6% below the U.S. average — one of the more affordable metros in the country. Trade wages here often deliver stronger real purchasing power than nominal figures suggest, especially relative to coastal cities where housing eats a larger share of income. Below-average rent, groceries, and services mean a journeyman wage tends to go further.
The single highest-paying trade in Kansas City is Elevator Mechanic, with a median wage of $121,960 per BLS OEWS data. Construction Manager ranks second at $106,490 — a gap of $15,470 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.
Kansas City's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 62, 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 Kansas City compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Kansas City
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $121,960 | $119,510 – $136,990 | B | 240 |
| Construction Manager | Management | $106,490 | $69,140 – $166,680 | B | 2,040 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $100,130 | $60,420 – $123,430 | B | 920 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $100,130 | $60,420 – $123,430 | B | 920 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $82,950 | $50,130 – $90,700 | D | 550 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $81,500 | $44,540 – $111,590 | C | 1,310 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $75,870 | $49,000 – $94,900 | C | 920 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $74,560 | $43,880 – $105,170 | B | 4,920 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $72,600 | $45,960 – $117,500 | B | 3,300 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $72,600 | $45,960 – $117,500 | B | 3,300 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $72,600 | $45,960 – $117,500 | B | 3,300 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $72,600 | $45,960 – $117,500 | C | 3,300 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $72,260 | $39,750 – $96,010 | C | 170 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $70,520 | $46,840 – $83,770 | D | 600 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $65,190 | $46,550 – $94,440 | B | 2,140 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $63,570 | $48,420 – $92,360 | C | 760 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $63,450 | $25,580 – $91,560 | C | 350 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $63,140 | $40,340 – $84,000 | C | 1,030 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $62,680 | $46,370 – $82,520 | C | 2,830 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $62,420 | $46,690 – $91,650 | C | 3,770 |
| Wind Turbine Technician | Energy | $61,900 | $50,830 – $82,550 | A | 0 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $61,080 | $40,270 – $91,550 | C | 3,500 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $61,080 | $40,270 – $91,550 | C | 3,500 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $61,040 | $41,600 – $94,070 | C | 4,630 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $60,400 | $41,950 – $79,690 | D | 330 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $58,810 | $44,720 – $80,680 | C | 2,730 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $58,300 | $42,960 – $89,660 | D | 310 |
| Roofer | Construction | $57,980 | $43,300 – $80,780 | C | 900 |
| Solar PV Installer | Electrical | $57,200 | $45,230 – $69,990 | A | 0 |
| Glazier | Construction | $56,800 | $40,020 – $82,490 | C | 470 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $54,380 | $39,660 – $78,420 | D | 1,380 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $53,470 | $37,730 – $89,960 | C | 230 |
| Welder | Welding | $52,920 | $41,530 – $74,580 | C | 2,420 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $52,920 | $41,530 – $74,580 | C | 2,420 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $52,920 | $41,530 – $74,580 | C | 2,420 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $52,900 | $45,230 – $78,490 | D | 100 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $52,520 | $30,630 – $76,750 | C | 90 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $50,320 | $36,070 – $79,620 | D | 5,440 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $50,310 | $39,300 – $77,970 | D | 250 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $49,160 | $35,300 – $73,910 | D | 240 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $48,820 | $36,420 – $76,970 | D | 10,370 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $48,730 | $37,390 – $79,470 | D | 1,420 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $48,320 | $36,840 – $62,280 | D | 340 |
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 Kansas City area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Kansas City?
Elevator Mechanic is the highest-paying skilled trade in Kansas City, MO, with a median annual wage of $121,960. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $136,990, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $119,510. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Kansas City?
The average median wage across all 43 skilled trades tracked in Kansas City is $65,570. With a cost-of-living index of 94, that converts to $69,755 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Kansas City growing?
Five-year wage growth across Kansas City'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 Kansas City?
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 Kansas City compare to other metros?
Kansas City's average Trade Pay Score is 62/100, 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 Kansas City against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Kansas City, MO earn an average median wage of $65,570 across 43 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 94, that translates to roughly $69,755 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Elevator Mechanic at $121,960.
For this entity, the underlying data on this page comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The breakdown above is the federal record; the paragraphs below add the per-entity context that makes the headline numbers usable for a real decision rather than just a data lookup.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
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.