SnapshotUpdated April 2026
Highest Paying Trades
Skilled trades with the best median wages nationwide
Elevator Mechanic is the highest-paying trade with an average median wage of $117K across 21 metro areas.
| # | Name | Metric |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elevator Mechanic $117K median — Specialty — 21 metros | 116,702 |
| 2 | Construction Manager $115K median — Management — 30 metros | 114,957 |
| 3 | Power Line Installer $102K median — Electrical — 30 metros | 101,512 |
| 4 | Electrical Power-Line Tech $102K median — Electrical — 30 metros | 101,512 |
| 5 | Boilermaker $90K median — Industrial — 14 metros | 89,510 |
| 6 | Pile Driver Operator $88K median — Heavy Equipment — 8 metros | 87,644 |
| 7 | Aircraft Mechanic $80K median — Automotive — 30 metros | 79,931 |
| 8 | Building Inspector $75K median — Management — 30 metros | 75,182 |
| 9 | Crane Operator $75K median — Heavy Equipment — 30 metros | 75,123 |
| 10 | Millwright $72K median — Industrial — 29 metros | 72,209 |
Elevator Mechanic is the highest-paying trade with an average median wage of $117K across 21 metro areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
This report is auto-generated from real public data sources. Entities are ranked by their key metrics and the most notable changes and extremes are highlighted.
The underlying data is refreshed on a regular schedule. This report was generated from the most recent available data (last updated April 2026).
The primary metric varies by report type. It may represent a score, dollar amount, rate, or count depending on what the report is measuring.