Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Nashville
Skilled-trade workers in Nashville, TN earn an average median wage of $58,992 across 42 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 103, that translates to roughly $57,274 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $106,050.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Nashville
Nashville's cost-of-living index of 103 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 Nashville a useful baseline for comparing trade pay across the country.
The single highest-paying trade in Nashville is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $106,050 per BLS OEWS data. Boilermaker ranks second at $90,210 — a gap of $15,840 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.
Nashville's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 55, 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 Nashville compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Nashville
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $106,050 | $62,690 – $173,870 | B | 2,540 |
| Boilermaker | Industrial | $90,210 | $37,400 – $90,210 | C | 50 |
| Ironworker | Structural | $85,340 | $48,150 – $85,370 | C | 0 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $77,280 | $47,210 – $100,460 | B | 1,290 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $77,280 | $47,210 – $100,460 | B | 1,290 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $76,550 | $55,020 – $124,850 | C | 1,160 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $65,280 | $44,370 – $84,620 | B | 2,340 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $64,620 | $45,160 – $72,600 | D | 560 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $64,440 | $39,060 – $72,730 | C | 270 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $63,680 | $41,300 – $90,970 | C | 630 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $63,670 | $44,060 – $83,770 | D | 740 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $62,050 | $44,040 – $99,740 | C | 320 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $61,130 | $39,980 – $84,350 | B | 7,630 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $60,840 | $44,900 – $84,910 | C | 2,140 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $60,740 | $38,110 – $101,760 | C | 140 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $60,510 | $39,260 – $76,230 | C | 790 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $59,870 | $41,560 – $83,010 | C | 2,850 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $59,870 | $41,560 – $83,010 | C | 2,850 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $59,870 | $41,560 – $83,010 | C | 2,850 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $59,870 | $41,560 – $83,010 | C | 2,850 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $59,840 | $43,120 – $76,900 | C | 3,300 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $59,840 | $43,120 – $76,900 | C | 3,300 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $59,640 | $42,680 – $95,060 | D | 820 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $54,650 | $37,420 – $85,360 | D | 170 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $53,730 | $37,320 – $64,820 | D | 3,250 |
| Welder | Welding | $50,660 | $39,880 – $74,440 | D | 2,410 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $50,660 | $39,880 – $74,440 | D | 2,410 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $50,660 | $39,880 – $74,440 | D | 2,410 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $49,640 | $42,150 – $65,610 | D | 3,500 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $49,350 | $43,560 – $94,650 | D | 140 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $49,280 | $38,540 – $70,370 | D | 1,640 |
| Glazier | Construction | $48,680 | $37,170 – $58,030 | D | 320 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $48,310 | $35,670 – $81,610 | D | 5,250 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $48,260 | $35,750 – $68,740 | D | 10,820 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $47,640 | $36,380 – $63,320 | F | 420 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $47,440 | $37,450 – $63,680 | D | 1,400 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $47,210 | $34,630 – $69,000 | D | 640 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $46,750 | $31,630 – $158,910 | D | 90 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $46,030 | $35,470 – $58,770 | F | 180 |
| Roofer | Construction | $45,440 | $37,620 – $64,980 | D | 690 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $43,470 | $35,260 – $62,380 | F | 1,140 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $41,350 | $31,720 – $57,650 | F | 120 |
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 Nashville area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Nashville?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in Nashville, TN, with a median annual wage of $106,050. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $173,870, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $62,690. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Nashville?
The average median wage across all 42 skilled trades tracked in Nashville is $58,992. With a cost-of-living index of 103, that converts to $57,274 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Nashville growing?
Five-year wage growth across Nashville'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 Nashville?
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 Nashville compare to other metros?
Nashville's average Trade Pay Score is 55/100, 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 Nashville against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Nashville, TN earn an average median wage of $58,992 across 42 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 103, that translates to roughly $57,274 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $106,050.
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.