Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Raleigh
Skilled-trade workers in Raleigh, NC earn an average median wage of $58,403 across 39 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 100, that translates to roughly $58,403 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $111,660.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Raleigh
Raleigh's cost-of-living index of 100 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 Raleigh a useful baseline for comparing trade pay across the country.
The single highest-paying trade in Raleigh is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $111,660 per BLS OEWS data. Elevator Mechanic ranks second at $105,610 — a gap of $6,050 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.
Raleigh's average Trade Pay Score across all tracked trades is 56, 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 Raleigh compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Raleigh
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $111,660 | $75,700 – $175,000 | B | 3,260 |
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $105,610 | $49,300 – $129,660 | B | 50 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $80,590 | $56,740 – $137,340 | C | 420 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $79,280 | $53,180 – $104,000 | C | 180 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $76,420 | $51,130 – $106,030 | B | 480 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $76,420 | $51,130 – $106,030 | B | 480 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $73,540 | $46,560 – $96,010 | C | 1,500 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $64,680 | $49,600 – $83,040 | B | 250 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $61,270 | $48,280 – $81,230 | C | 970 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $61,040 | $40,040 – $72,520 | D | 580 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $60,420 | $45,680 – $78,300 | B | 1,400 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $60,170 | $46,570 – $78,170 | D | 110 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $58,920 | $40,090 – $91,710 | C | 1,050 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $55,560 | $39,810 – $72,910 | C | 2,520 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $55,560 | $39,810 – $72,910 | C | 2,520 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $55,560 | $39,810 – $72,910 | C | 2,520 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $55,560 | $39,810 – $72,910 | C | 2,520 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $54,820 | $40,910 – $70,680 | C | 3,790 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $54,180 | $39,050 – $77,020 | C | 2,570 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $54,180 | $39,050 – $77,020 | C | 2,570 |
| Welder | Welding | $54,080 | $40,640 – $70,500 | C | 1,100 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $54,080 | $40,640 – $70,500 | C | 1,100 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $54,080 | $40,640 – $70,500 | D | 1,100 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $52,430 | $34,350 – $79,870 | D | 3,570 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $51,610 | $37,860 – $73,980 | D | 650 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $50,850 | $31,490 – $73,600 | D | 460 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $50,660 | $40,660 – $62,230 | D | 2,670 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $50,420 | $39,790 – $63,170 | D | 0 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $49,520 | $24,490 – $65,620 | D | 2,410 |
| Roofer | Construction | $48,970 | $35,150 – $63,490 | D | 760 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $48,890 | $35,350 – $71,430 | D | 6,400 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $48,370 | $46,210 – $71,590 | C | 0 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $48,300 | $36,840 – $65,650 | D | 310 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $47,700 | $36,060 – $57,650 | D | 750 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $45,180 | $36,490 – $61,230 | F | 110 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $44,930 | $36,810 – $56,820 | F | 760 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $44,900 | $32,350 – $63,530 | D | 420 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $39,540 | $32,270 – $48,460 | F | 140 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $37,770 | $30,420 – $60,890 | D | 80 |
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 Raleigh area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Raleigh?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in Raleigh, NC, with a median annual wage of $111,660. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $175,000, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $75,700. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Raleigh?
The average median wage across all 39 skilled trades tracked in Raleigh is $58,403. With a cost-of-living index of 100, that converts to $58,403 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Raleigh growing?
Five-year wage growth across Raleigh'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 Raleigh?
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 Raleigh compare to other metros?
Raleigh's average Trade Pay Score is 56/100, 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 Raleigh against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Raleigh, NC earn an average median wage of $58,403 across 39 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 100, that translates to roughly $58,403 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $111,660.
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.
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.