Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Fastest Growing Skilled Trades (2024)
Across 47 skilled trades tracked in BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 5 have posted 5-year wage growth above 10%. The fastest-growing trade is Wind Turbine Technician at +45%, followed by Solar PV Installer at +22%.
What's Driving the Top of the Growth List
Three forces dominate the current wage-growth picture. The first is federal investment: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act collectively committed more than two trillion dollars over a decade — much of it flowing into bridge, transit, broadband, semiconductor, and clean-energy projects that depend on specific skilled trades. The second is retirement-driven labor shortage: roughly a third of the skilled-trades workforce is now over 50, and the apprenticeship pipeline is too narrow to backfill them. The third is electrification — every solar farm, EV charging network, data center, and grid upgrade requires electricians, lineworkers, and pipefitters faster than they can be trained.
The trades at the top of this ranking sit at the intersection of those three forces. Solar installers, electrical line installers and repairers, elevator mechanics, and HVAC technicians are seeing wage gains well above food inflation, often above core inflation, and sometimes well into double digits per year. The broader picture: of 47 tracked trades, 5 are growing above 10% over five years, 12 are growing 5-10%, and 9 are flat or declining.
The actionable read for workers and career changers is that headline national medians can mask much faster local growth. Cities with major infrastructure or industrial investment — Texas Gulf Coast petrochemical metros, semiconductor hubs in Arizona, Ohio, and New York, EV-manufacturing corridors in Tennessee and Georgia — often post per-trade growth several points above the national figure. The per-trade pages on TradeWages publish city-by-city detail; the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh publishes projected 2032 employment levels for every occupation.
| # | Trade | 5yr Growth | Median Salary | Grade | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wind Turbine TechnicianEnergy | +45% | $71,538 | A | 2,580 |
| 2 | Solar PV InstallerElectrical | +22% | $53,971 | B | 10,350 |
| 3 | Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial | +14% | $67,761 | B | 140,310 |
| 4 | ElectricianElectrical | +11% | $70,935 | B | 309,770 |
| 5 | Industrial ElectricianElectrical | +11% | $69,958 | B | 21,950 |
| 6 | GlazierConstruction | +8% | $58,622 | C | 26,230 |
| 7 | Power Line InstallerElectrical | +7% | $101,512 | B | 39,600 |
| 8 | Electrical Power-Line TechElectrical | +7% | $101,512 | B | 39,600 |
| 9 | LocksmithSpecialty | +7% | $52,024 | D | 7,020 |
| 10 | Aircraft MechanicAutomotive | +6% | $79,931 | B | 60,720 |
| 11 | MillwrightIndustrial | +6% | $72,209 | C | 11,870 |
| 12 | PlumberPlumbing | +6% | $69,782 | C | 189,520 |
| 13 | PipefitterPlumbing | +6% | $69,782 | C | 189,520 |
| 14 | Fire Sprinkler FitterPlumbing | +6% | $69,782 | C | 189,520 |
| 15 | SteamfitterPlumbing | +6% | $69,782 | C | 189,520 |
| 16 | HVAC TechnicianHVAC | +6% | $62,556 | C | 157,240 |
| 17 | Refrigeration MechanicHVAC | +6% | $62,556 | C | 157,240 |
| 18 | Construction ManagerManagement | +5% | $114,957 | B | 160,280 |
| 19 | Diesel MechanicAutomotive | +5% | $64,435 | C | 107,570 |
| 20 | Environmental Engineering TechSpecialty | +5% | $63,192 | C | 3,820 |
| 21 | Pile Driver OperatorHeavy Equipment | +4% | $87,644 | C | 1,070 |
| 22 | Crane OperatorHeavy Equipment | +4% | $75,123 | C | 16,150 |
| 23 | IronworkerStructural | +4% | $70,146 | C | 5,830 |
| 24 | Heavy Equipment OperatorHeavy Equipment | +4% | $68,475 | C | 160,130 |
| 25 | Sheet Metal WorkerMetalwork | +4% | $67,236 | C | 45,860 |
| 26 | WelderWelding | +4% | $54,982 | C | 124,810 |
| 27 | Structural WelderWelding | +4% | $54,982 | C | 124,810 |
| 28 | Underwater WelderWelding | +4% | $54,982 | C | 124,810 |
| 29 | Maintenance MechanicIndustrial | +4% | $51,020 | C | 627,680 |
| 30 | Elevator MechanicSpecialty | +3% | $116,702 | B | 9,770 |
| 31 | Insulation WorkerConstruction | +3% | $50,860 | D | 15,840 |
| 32 | CarpenterConstruction | +2% | $61,080 | C | 299,230 |
| 33 | Concrete FinisherConstruction | +2% | $60,072 | C | 84,630 |
| 34 | RooferConstruction | +2% | $56,189 | D | 54,380 |
| 35 | Auto MechanicAutomotive | +2% | $53,986 | D | 269,550 |
| 36 | Septic Tank ServicerPlumbing | +2% | $52,193 | D | 8,860 |
| 37 | Building InspectorManagement | +1% | $75,182 | C | 63,540 |
| 38 | Telecommunications TechElectrical | +1% | $66,876 | C | 63,360 |
| 39 | BoilermakerIndustrial | +-1% | $89,510 | C | 2,500 |
| 40 | PlastererConstruction | +-1% | $63,149 | D | 8,110 |
| 41 | MachinistMetalwork | +-1% | $57,590 | D | 113,790 |
| 42 | Painter (Construction)Construction | +-1% | $51,605 | D | 98,760 |
| 43 | Mason (Bricklayer)Construction | +-2% | $68,974 | D | 23,930 |
| 44 | Drywall InstallerConstruction | +-2% | $58,184 | D | 35,190 |
| 45 | Tile SetterConstruction | +-2% | $55,563 | D | 16,140 |
| 46 | Floor LayerConstruction | +-2% | $54,675 | D | 10,430 |
| 47 | Tool and Die MakerMetalwork | +-3% | $67,268 | D | 19,270 |
How Wage Growth Is Calculated
For each trade, we compare the most recent BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median wage to the same series five OEWS releases prior, then express the difference as a percent change. Five years is long enough to smooth single-year noise from survey methodology changes, short enough to capture the current cycle. Wage growth feeds the Trade Pay Score at 25% weight; the remaining 75% combines raw pay (30%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%). Full methodology.
The underlying BLS OEWS data is public domain and published at bls.gov/oes. Forward-looking employment projections through 2032 are available in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Registered apprenticeship programs in fast-growing trades are listed at apprenticeship.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which skilled trades are growing the fastest?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, Wind Turbine Technician has the strongest 5-year wage growth at +45%, followed by Solar PV Installer at +22% and Industrial Machinery Mechanic at +14%. Of 47 tracked trades, 5 have posted growth above 10% over the past five OEWS releases. The full BLS dataset is published at https://www.bls.gov/oes/.
Why are some trade wages climbing faster than others?
Three structural forces drive most of the variance: federal infrastructure investment (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS Act are funneling demand into specific trades), retirement-age demographic transitions (one-third of skilled-trades workers are now over 50, creating replacement demand the apprenticeship pipeline cannot fill quickly), and electrification (every solar farm, EV charger network, data center, and grid upgrade pulls electricians, lineworkers, and pipefitters higher).
Are these wage gains sustainable?
Wage growth in skilled trades typically follows multi-year demand cycles. The current cycle is unusual in that it combines federal investment with structural retirement-driven labor shortages — a combination that has historically supported sustained 5-10 year wage upswings. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ projects employment growth through 2032 for each occupation, which is the closest thing to a forward-looking signal in public-domain government data.
How is wage growth calculated?
For each trade, we compare the current national median wage to the same series five OEWS releases prior, then express the change as a percent. Five years is long enough to dampen single-year noise from survey methodology changes, but short enough to capture the current demand cycle. The growth column on this page is the national figure; per-metro growth can vary substantially — see the per-trade pages for city-by-city detail.
How can I get into a fast-growing trade?
Most fast-growing skilled trades are entered through registered apprenticeships, which the U.S. Department of Labor catalogs at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/. The site lets you filter by trade, state, and city. Apprenticeships are paid from day one, typically lasting 3-5 years, with pay scaling from roughly 40% to 95% of journeyman wage by year. The TradeWages per-trade pages publish year-by-year apprentice pay progressions for each occupation.
Across 47 skilled trades tracked in BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 5 have posted 5-year wage growth above 10%. The fastest-growing trade is Wind Turbine Technician at +45%, followed by Solar PV Installer at +22%.