Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in San Antonio
Skilled-trade workers in San Antonio, TX earn an average median wage of $55,594 across 40 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 90, that translates to roughly $61,771 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $97,010.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in San Antonio
San Antonio's cost-of-living index of 90 sits 10% below the U.S. average — one of the more affordable metros in the country. Trade wages here often deliver stronger real purchasing power than nominal figures suggest, especially relative to coastal cities where housing eats a larger share of income. Below-average rent, groceries, and services mean a journeyman wage tends to go further.
The single highest-paying trade in San Antonio is Construction Manager, with a median wage of $97,010 per BLS OEWS data. Power Line Installer ranks second at $76,040 — a gap of $20,970 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.
San Antonio'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 San Antonio compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in San Antonio
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction Manager | Management | $97,010 | $60,110 – $159,540 | B | 3,790 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $76,040 | $47,790 – $104,850 | B | 1,300 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $76,040 | $47,790 – $104,850 | B | 1,300 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $74,700 | $46,230 – $82,870 | C | 1,810 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $70,050 | $45,530 – $76,350 | C | 100 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $67,980 | $44,990 – $99,370 | B | 810 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $66,170 | $37,970 – $93,440 | C | 300 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $61,920 | $37,860 – $116,230 | C | 250 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $61,400 | $42,780 – $87,610 | B | 3,150 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $60,520 | $44,900 – $97,830 | C | 1,380 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $59,470 | $36,240 – $83,790 | C | 980 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $58,730 | $38,790 – $80,120 | D | 100 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $58,530 | $37,230 – $79,310 | C | 3,040 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $58,530 | $37,230 – $79,310 | C | 3,040 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $58,530 | $37,230 – $79,310 | C | 3,040 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $58,530 | $37,230 – $79,310 | C | 3,040 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $56,840 | $38,800 – $78,480 | C | 2,200 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $54,830 | $37,500 – $72,630 | C | 690 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $53,770 | $37,600 – $81,980 | C | 2,890 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $53,770 | $37,600 – $81,980 | C | 2,890 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $53,060 | $36,350 – $59,720 | D | 530 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $53,010 | $36,710 – $81,570 | D | 820 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $52,650 | $37,110 – $73,860 | B | 5,930 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $49,040 | $38,740 – $66,310 | C | 3,970 |
| Ironworker | Structural | $48,410 | $34,880 – $57,470 | D | 170 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $48,350 | $34,460 – $58,300 | D | 410 |
| Welder | Welding | $48,340 | $35,270 – $73,580 | C | 2,340 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $48,340 | $35,270 – $73,580 | C | 2,340 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $48,340 | $35,270 – $73,580 | D | 2,340 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $48,320 | $30,850 – $81,010 | D | 5,910 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $48,140 | $30,170 – $60,300 | D | 370 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $47,670 | $36,240 – $59,620 | D | 2,270 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $46,690 | $36,260 – $57,700 | D | 1,540 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $46,300 | $40,670 – $50,010 | D | 190 |
| Glazier | Construction | $46,040 | $36,060 – $56,970 | C | 620 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $45,900 | $36,170 – $62,850 | D | 230 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $43,490 | $34,860 – $54,990 | D | 890 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $42,210 | $29,730 – $67,430 | D | 11,430 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $39,000 | $33,910 – $55,110 | F | 90 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $37,110 | $29,220 – $58,840 | D | 100 |
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 San Antonio area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in San Antonio?
Construction Manager is the highest-paying skilled trade in San Antonio, TX, with a median annual wage of $97,010. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $159,540, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $60,110. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in San Antonio?
The average median wage across all 40 skilled trades tracked in San Antonio is $55,594. With a cost-of-living index of 90, that converts to $61,771 in U.S.-average purchasing power — an upward adjustment because the metro is less expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in San Antonio growing?
Five-year wage growth across San Antonio'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 San Antonio?
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 San Antonio compare to other metros?
San Antonio'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 San Antonio against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in San Antonio, TX earn an average median wage of $55,594 across 40 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 90, that translates to roughly $61,771 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Construction Manager at $97,010.
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.
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.