Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Highest Paying Trades in Tampa
Skilled-trade workers in Tampa, FL earn an average median wage of $56,665 across 44 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 101, that translates to roughly $56,104 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Elevator Mechanic at $103,860.
Cost of Living and Real Pay in Tampa
Tampa's cost-of-living index of 101 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 Tampa a useful baseline for comparing trade pay across the country.
The single highest-paying trade in Tampa is Elevator Mechanic, with a median wage of $103,860 per BLS OEWS data. Power Line Installer ranks second at $101,150 — a gap of $2,710 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.
Tampa'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 Tampa compares favorably and the ones where workers may earn more elsewhere.
Trade Salaries in Tampa
| Trade | Category | Median | Range (10th-90th) | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator Mechanic | Specialty | $103,860 | $58,100 – $123,090 | B | 270 |
| Power Line Installer | Electrical | $101,150 | $50,730 – $108,000 | B | 1,070 |
| Electrical Power-Line Tech | Electrical | $101,150 | $50,730 – $108,000 | B | 1,070 |
| Construction Manager | Management | $100,810 | $47,840 – $188,390 | B | 4,920 |
| Aircraft Mechanic | Automotive | $76,750 | $48,590 – $122,720 | C | 830 |
| Crane Operator | Heavy Equipment | $75,760 | $42,450 – $109,200 | C | 330 |
| Building Inspector | Management | $64,470 | $45,250 – $95,980 | C | 1,750 |
| Tool and Die Maker | Metalwork | $61,240 | $42,780 – $74,850 | D | 90 |
| Telecommunications Tech | Electrical | $60,690 | $47,270 – $88,690 | C | 1,390 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | Industrial | $60,580 | $42,000 – $85,500 | B | 2,450 |
| Diesel Mechanic | Automotive | $60,380 | $39,820 – $79,450 | C | 1,620 |
| Electrician | Electrical | $53,790 | $37,720 – $72,330 | C | 7,110 |
| Industrial Electrician | Electrical | $53,050 | $40,040 – $83,950 | C | 650 |
| Plumber | Plumbing | $52,280 | $38,650 – $65,210 | C | 4,120 |
| Pipefitter | Plumbing | $52,280 | $38,650 – $65,210 | C | 4,120 |
| Fire Sprinkler Fitter | Plumbing | $52,280 | $38,650 – $65,210 | C | 4,120 |
| Steamfitter | Plumbing | $52,280 | $38,650 – $65,210 | C | 4,120 |
| Plasterer | Construction | $51,540 | $32,930 – $74,470 | D | 350 |
| Floor Layer | Construction | $51,070 | $39,160 – $62,160 | D | 310 |
| Machinist | Metalwork | $50,830 | $37,400 – $68,710 | D | 1,480 |
| Pile Driver Operator | Heavy Equipment | $50,810 | $38,440 – $79,340 | D | 80 |
| Millwright | Industrial | $50,560 | $46,450 – $62,840 | C | 70 |
| HVAC Technician | HVAC | $50,010 | $38,520 – $71,180 | C | 5,640 |
| Refrigeration Mechanic | HVAC | $50,010 | $38,520 – $71,180 | C | 5,640 |
| Tile Setter | Construction | $49,650 | $27,230 – $71,290 | D | 720 |
| Carpenter | Construction | $49,170 | $36,310 – $68,880 | D | 5,370 |
| Insulation Worker | Construction | $49,120 | $32,370 – $57,480 | D | 320 |
| Solar PV Installer | Electrical | $48,870 | $43,750 – $60,950 | B | 220 |
| Welder | Welding | $48,790 | $37,990 – $65,200 | D | 2,370 |
| Structural Welder | Welding | $48,790 | $37,990 – $65,200 | D | 2,370 |
| Underwater Welder | Welding | $48,790 | $37,990 – $65,200 | D | 2,370 |
| Sheet Metal Worker | Metalwork | $48,770 | $34,270 – $62,740 | D | 1,010 |
| Glazier | Construction | $48,770 | $34,060 – $64,710 | D | 790 |
| Mason (Bricklayer) | Construction | $48,640 | $36,710 – $63,380 | D | 460 |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | Heavy Equipment | $48,600 | $38,470 – $69,650 | D | 3,810 |
| Auto Mechanic | Automotive | $48,580 | $33,380 – $78,350 | D | 6,810 |
| Drywall Installer | Construction | $47,810 | $28,660 – $56,240 | D | 590 |
| Septic Tank Servicer | Plumbing | $47,580 | $35,450 – $67,770 | D | 180 |
| Locksmith | Specialty | $47,480 | $30,270 – $72,960 | D | 240 |
| Roofer | Construction | $47,340 | $34,370 – $63,370 | D | 3,230 |
| Concrete Finisher | Construction | $47,250 | $36,580 – $87,540 | D | 1,990 |
| Painter (Construction) | Construction | $46,310 | $36,590 – $57,790 | F | 2,790 |
| Maintenance Mechanic | Industrial | $44,870 | $30,750 – $65,660 | D | 15,400 |
| Environmental Engineering Tech | Specialty | $40,430 | $33,080 – $55,880 | 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 Tampa area are listed on the U.S. Department of Labor's apprenticeship.gov registry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which trade pays the most in Tampa?
Elevator Mechanic is the highest-paying skilled trade in Tampa, FL, with a median annual wage of $103,860. The 90th-percentile reading reaches $123,090, with apprentices and entry-level workers starting near $58,100. That spread reflects experience, certification, and union membership.
What is the average trade salary in Tampa?
The average median wage across all 44 skilled trades tracked in Tampa is $56,665. With a cost-of-living index of 101, that converts to $56,104 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Are skilled-trade jobs in Tampa growing?
Five-year wage growth across Tampa'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 Tampa?
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 Tampa compare to other metros?
Tampa'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 Tampa against other metros on the best-cities-for-trades ranking page.
Skilled-trade workers in Tampa, FL earn an average median wage of $56,665 across 44 tracked trades, per 2024 BLS OEWS data. With a cost-of-living index of 101, that translates to roughly $56,104 in U.S.-average purchasing power. The top-paying trade in the metro is Elevator Mechanic at $103,860.
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.