Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in New York
Skilled-trade workers in New York, NY earn an average median wage of $78,694 across 46 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 187, that translates to roughly $42,082 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $138,000.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in New York
New York's cost-of-living index of 187 is well above the U.S. average — roughly 87% 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 New York need substantially higher nominal pay to match the purchasing power of a journeyman in a mid-cost metro.
The single highest-paying trade in New York is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $138,000 per BLS OEWS data. Elevator Mechanic ranks second at $127,040 — a gap of $10,960 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.
New York's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 47, in the D-or-below tier. That typically reflects either thin local labor demand, a high-cost metro that erodes purchasing power, or both. Workers should examine the per-trade detail carefully — a few specialized trades may still grade well even when the metro-wide average is weak.
Trade Salaries in New York
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $138,000 | $79,640 – $234,650 | B | 12,150 |
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $127,040 | $69,730 – $170,160 | C | 3,250 |
| Pile Driver Operator | Heavy Equipment | $125,070 | $67,000 – $125,070 | C | 40 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $119,760 | $60,560 – $138,790 | B | 3,490 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $119,760 | $60,560 – $138,790 | B | 3,490 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $98,730 | $66,900 – $130,540 | C | 3,760 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $98,610 | $59,420 – $157,700 | C | 11,790 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $94,370 | $64,330 – $213,660 | D | 1,460 |
| Ironworker | Structural | $92,980 | $53,290 – $98,800 | D | 880 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $91,450 | $58,040 – $103,440 | C | 1,210 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $86,020 | $47,500 – $117,260 | D | 360 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $85,960 | $51,880 – $133,710 | D | 11,060 |
| Boilermaker | Industrial | $80,560 | $52,130 – $127,830 | F | 190 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $79,420 | $49,180 – $138,100 | D | 21,500 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $79,420 | $49,180 – $138,100 | D | 21,500 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $79,420 | $49,180 – $138,100 | D | 21,500 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $79,420 | $49,180 – $138,100 | D | 21,500 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $78,360 | $49,920 – $165,420 | F | 750 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $77,350 | $46,150 – $133,020 | D | 4,560 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $77,270 | $51,400 – $124,890 | F | 2,170 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $76,450 | $47,100 – $132,580 | C | 38,890 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $76,110 | $49,450 – $102,440 | F | 780 |
| Roofer | Construction | $74,470 | $37,950 – $114,330 | D | 3,140 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $74,090 | $48,800 – $102,870 | D | 21,340 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $74,090 | $48,800 – $102,870 | D | 21,340 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $73,920 | $50,570 – $92,140 | D | 13,240 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $72,840 | $39,240 – $123,400 | F | 2,630 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $72,710 | $48,810 – $103,020 | C | 11,200 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $69,680 | $44,200 – $125,280 | D | 37,690 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $65,880 | $48,620 – $115,650 | F | 9,620 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $65,840 | $32,610 – $112,040 | F | 2,160 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $65,250 | $45,120 – $110,040 | D | 7,400 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $64,510 | $43,120 – $145,620 | F | 1,950 |
| Glazier | Construction | $62,750 | $42,740 – $108,790 | D | 2,760 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $62,320 | $44,680 – $93,330 | F | 4,460 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $62,100 | $51,640 – $79,430 | D | 840 |
| Solar PV Installer | Electrical | $61,140 | $47,270 – $96,300 | B | 1,570 |
| Welder | Welding | $60,840 | $41,550 – $96,590 | D | 4,930 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $60,840 | $41,550 – $96,590 | D | 4,930 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $60,840 | $41,550 – $96,590 | F | 4,930 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $59,880 | $37,770 – $90,800 | F | 1,290 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $59,170 | $37,590 – $88,270 | F | 1,090 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $59,110 | $35,340 – $94,630 | F | 27,540 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $58,900 | $37,820 – $85,950 | F | 109,550 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $58,760 | $40,590 – $123,350 | F | 1,100 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $58,450 | $36,050 – $98,310 | F | 13,500 |
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 New York area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in New York?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in New York, NY, with a median annual wage of $138,000. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $234,650, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $79,640. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in New York?
The average median wage across all 46 skilled trades tracked in New York is $78,694. With a cost-of-living index of 187, that converts to $42,082 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in New York growing?
Five-year wage growth across New York'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 New York?
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 New York compare to other metros?
New York's average Trade Pay Score is 47/100, a below-average 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 New York against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in New York, NY earn an average median wage of $78,694 across 46 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 187, that translates to roughly $42,082 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $138,000.
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.
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.