Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Las Vegas
Skilled-trade workers in Las Vegas, NV earn an average median wage of $67,113 across 41 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 104, that translates to roughly $64,532 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Crane Operator at $132,560.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Las Vegas
Las Vegas's cost-of-living index of 104 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 Las Vegas a useful baseline for comparing trade pay across the country.
The single highest-paying trade in Las Vegas is Crane Operator, with a median wage of $132,560 per BLS OEWS data. Power Line Installer ranks second at $120,260 — a gap of $12,300 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.
Las Vegas's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 58, 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 Las Vegas compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Las Vegas
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $132,560 | $56,160 – $132,580 | C | 0 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $120,260 | $21,320 – $131,660 | B | 600 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $120,260 | $21,320 – $131,660 | B | 600 |
| Construction Manager | Management | $103,420 | $75,620 – $163,370 | B | 3,130 |
| Ironworker | Structural | $99,570 | $47,160 – $100,720 | C | 310 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $99,510 | $60,960 – $125,570 | B | 1,800 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $89,610 | $46,180 – $160,910 | B | 40 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $75,670 | $45,190 – $108,470 | C | 730 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $72,620 | $60,500 – $99,790 | C | 70 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $71,250 | $50,050 – $76,980 | C | 780 |
| Solar PV Installer | Electrical | $66,070 | $47,820 – $78,510 | A | 100 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $64,950 | $44,480 – $114,390 | B | 5,970 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $64,380 | $49,240 – $118,440 | C | 2,850 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $63,450 | $42,340 – $91,870 | B | 920 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $63,140 | $39,990 – $98,350 | D | 230 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $63,090 | $45,200 – $83,180 | C | 1,040 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $61,470 | $40,330 – $103,910 | C | 9,750 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $59,640 | $37,780 – $112,320 | C | 3,750 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $59,640 | $37,780 – $112,320 | C | 3,750 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $59,640 | $37,780 – $112,320 | C | 3,750 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $59,640 | $37,780 – $112,320 | C | 3,750 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $59,220 | $49,620 – $74,340 | D | 780 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $58,870 | $35,710 – $91,560 | D | 1,080 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $58,840 | $42,080 – $80,100 | D | 2,200 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $58,790 | $38,480 – $91,920 | C | 3,040 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $58,790 | $38,480 – $91,920 | C | 3,040 |
| Glazier | Construction | $58,040 | $46,040 – $71,800 | C | 370 |
| Welder | Welding | $57,520 | $40,000 – $79,410 | C | 950 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $57,520 | $40,000 – $79,410 | C | 950 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $57,520 | $40,000 – $79,410 | D | 950 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $57,460 | $52,070 – $78,450 | D | 0 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $54,330 | $36,830 – $69,310 | D | 100 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $52,920 | $41,530 – $74,950 | D | 300 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $51,290 | $40,330 – $82,850 | D | 2,070 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $50,570 | $39,860 – $77,680 | D | 2,370 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $50,280 | $34,320 – $78,800 | D | 11,020 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $50,220 | $37,530 – $80,240 | F | 850 |
| Roofer | Construction | $48,220 | $35,180 – $74,850 | D | 1,410 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $48,010 | $43,090 – $62,400 | D | 110 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $46,800 | $35,500 – $117,830 | D | 850 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $46,570 | $31,560 – $81,000 | D | 5,090 |
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 Las Vegas area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Las Vegas?
Crane Operator is the highest-paying skilled trade in Las Vegas, NV, with a median annual wage of $132,560. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $132,580, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $56,160. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Las Vegas?
The average median wage across all 41 skilled trades tracked in Las Vegas is $67,113. With a cost-of-living index of 104, that converts to $64,532 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Las Vegas growing?
Five-year wage growth across Las Vegas'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 Las Vegas?
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 Las Vegas compare to other metros?
Las Vegas's average Trade Pay Score is 58/100, 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 Las Vegas against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Las Vegas, NV earn an average median wage of $67,113 across 41 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 104, that translates to roughly $64,532 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Crane Operator at $132,560.
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.