Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Portland
Skilled-trade workers in Portland, OR earn an average median wage of $78,814 across 42 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 130, that translates to roughly $60,626 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $136,970.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Portland
Portland's cost-of-living index of 130 is well above the U.S. average — roughly 30% 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 Portland need substantially higher nominal pay to match the purchasing power of a journeyman in a mid-cost metro.
The single highest-paying trade in Portland is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $136,970 per BLS OEWS data. Elevator Mechanic ranks second at $134,010 — a gap of $2,960 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.
Portland's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 57, 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 Portland compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Portland
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $136,970 | $86,890 – $202,716 | B | 2,760 |
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $134,010 | $74,520 – $153,120 | B | 180 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $125,160 | $62,440 – $137,630 | B | 700 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $125,160 | $62,440 – $137,630 | B | 700 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $110,280 | $65,970 – $114,210 | C | 320 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $102,070 | $55,270 – $126,560 | B | 7,290 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $100,110 | $53,180 – $135,950 | B | 4,920 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $100,110 | $53,180 – $135,950 | B | 4,920 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $100,110 | $53,180 – $135,950 | B | 4,920 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $100,110 | $53,180 – $135,950 | C | 4,920 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $94,090 | $62,140 – $148,130 | B | 240 |
| Ironworker | Structural | $93,280 | $82,090 – $106,340 | C | 390 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $83,970 | $52,610 – $120,030 | C | 1,070 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $82,930 | $61,110 – $134,770 | C | 610 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $80,870 | $57,940 – $98,190 | D | 340 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $77,950 | $48,760 – $121,640 | C | 2,070 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $76,800 | $57,340 – $117,040 | C | 2,840 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $76,760 | $51,590 – $103,640 | B | 4,370 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $75,030 | $51,610 – $107,010 | D | 310 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $74,460 | $46,170 – $98,290 | D | 1,310 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $68,800 | $49,320 – $100,700 | D | 1,740 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $68,340 | $49,300 – $107,140 | C | 240 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $67,820 | $48,010 – $98,160 | D | 100 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $67,430 | $50,080 – $88,540 | D | 2,570 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $65,810 | $43,400 – $104,330 | D | 10,290 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $64,870 | $32,960 – $103,290 | D | 1,000 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $64,290 | $44,690 – $100,850 | C | 2,480 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $64,290 | $44,690 – $100,850 | C | 2,480 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $63,340 | $40,860 – $100,370 | D | 190 |
| Glazier | Construction | $63,010 | $46,540 – $113,200 | D | 390 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $62,350 | $46,590 – $80,710 | D | 2,470 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $61,520 | $41,600 – $79,740 | D | 590 |
| Welder | Welding | $60,940 | $47,330 – $82,930 | D | 3,010 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $60,940 | $47,330 – $82,930 | D | 3,010 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $60,940 | $47,330 – $82,930 | D | 3,010 |
| Solar PV Installer | Electrical | $59,830 | $50,780 – $75,250 | B | 130 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $59,390 | $38,610 – $81,140 | D | 4,060 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $59,170 | $39,950 – $74,110 | D | 360 |
| Roofer | Construction | $59,160 | $46,700 – $88,510 | D | 2,260 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $56,810 | $40,660 – $81,260 | D | 10,060 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $51,610 | $39,660 – $80,140 | F | 2,980 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $49,300 | $37,150 – $69,440 | D | 140 |
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 Portland area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Portland?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in Portland, OR, with a median annual wage of $136,970. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $202,716, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $86,890. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Portland?
The average median wage across all 42 skilled trades tracked in Portland is $78,814. With a cost-of-living index of 130, that converts to $60,626 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Portland growing?
Five-year wage growth across Portland'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 Portland?
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 Portland compare to other metros?
Portland's average Trade Pay Score is 57/100, 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 Portland against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Portland, OR earn an average median wage of $78,814 across 42 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 130, that translates to roughly $60,626 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $136,970.
this entity is one of the data points covered by this site’s U.S. skilled-trade wage data dataset. The detail above comes directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the context that follows situates the headline numbers against the broader distribution across U.S. trades, cities, and states.
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.