Skilled Trades Jobs: Pay and Entry

Published: September 12, 2026 | By LocalJobPage Team

SKILLED TRADES — The median electrician in the United States earned $63,190 in 2025. The median worker across all U.S. occupations earned $50,980. That gap is about $12,000 a year, and closing it needs no bachelor's degree, no student loan and no four years out of the workforce.

Five trades you can enter with a high school diploma or a one-year certificate, every one of them paying above the national median wage, and four of the five projected by the federal government to grow faster than the average occupation through 2035.

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💼 The Jobs Behind the Label

"Skilled trades" covers a lot of ground. These five have the most openings and the clearest entry path. Every figure below comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, using 2025 median wages and the 2025 to 2035 projection decade.

Electricians. 821,000 jobs in 2025, wiring and maintaining the controls and lighting in houses, factories, hospitals and data centers. BLS projects roughly 72,700 openings a year through 2035 once retirements and job changes are counted. Entry is a high school diploma plus an apprenticeship.

Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters. 510,600 jobs in 2025, and about 42,000 openings a year. Residential plumbing is only part of it: pipefitters work industrial process piping and steamfitters high-pressure systems, so the trade turns up in refineries as often as in basements.

HVAC and refrigeration technicians. 440,900 jobs in 2025 and roughly 40,600 openings a year. The shortest path in of the five, because BLS lists the typical entry credential as a postsecondary nondegree award rather than an apprenticeship.

Industrial machinery mechanics, maintenance workers and millwrights. 547,300 jobs in 2025 and the fastest-growing of the five. The group holds three pay levels: BLS puts the May 2025 median at $65,700 for millwrights, $64,520 for industrial machinery mechanics and $60,850 for machinery maintenance workers. Most mechanics learn on the job over more than a year; most millwrights apprentice for four.

Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers. 437,700 jobs in 2025, and the outlier on growth at a projected 2 percent, slower than the average occupation. Still the quickest route from classroom to paycheck here, needing moderate-term on-the-job training rather than a multi-year apprenticeship.

💵 What It Pays

BLS reported a median annual wage of $50,980 across all U.S. occupations in May 2025. Construction and extraction occupations as a group came in at $59,540, installation and repair occupations at $59,620. Both clear it, which is the short version of why the trades keep coming up.

Occupation	2025 median pay	Projected change, 2025–35
Industrial machinery mechanics, maintenance workers and millwrights	$64,100	+14%
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters	$63,800	+7%
Electricians	$63,190	+9%
HVAC and refrigeration mechanics and installers	$61,010	+11%
Welders, cutters, solderers and brazers	$53,750	+2%
All U.S. occupations	$50,980	–

A median is a median: half the people in that occupation earned less. The spread inside one trade is wide. BLS put the lowest-paid 10 percent of electricians under $42,640 in May 2025 and the highest-paid 10 percent above $108,510; for plumbers, $44,150 and $108,420; for HVAC technicians, $40,050 and $95,210.

Industry matters as much as tenure. Electricians in government had a May 2025 median of $79,820 and those in manufacturing $74,550, against $61,570 for electricians employed by electrical contractors. Same license, very different check. Higher still, elevator and escalator installers had a 2025 median of $109,910, the top of that group.

🎓 Training and Credentials

What separates the trades from most other routes above the median wage: you are paid while you learn.

Apprenticeship. Electricians and plumbers typically complete a four- or five-year apprenticeship, which BLS describes as about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job work a year plus classroom instruction in code, blueprint reading, math and safety. Millwrights run roughly four years. Apprentices start at a percentage of the journey-level wage and step up as they log hours, and no tuition bill waits at the end.

Certificate programs. HVAC is the exception. Its certificate and associate programs run six months to two years at community colleges and trade schools. Welding works the same way, plus several months of on-the-job training even for people who arrive trained.

Licenses. Most states require electricians to pass an exam and hold a license, with continuing education to keep it. Most states and some localities license plumbers, generally after two to five years of experience plus an exam, and some states license pipefitters and steamfitters specifically for gas work. The Environmental Protection Agency requires nearly all HVAC technicians to be certified in refrigerant handling. Licensing is a state question, so check your own state board before you pay any school a deposit.

🔥 Who's Hiring

Specialty contractors dominate. BLS reports that plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors employ 68 percent of HVAC technicians and 65 percent of plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, and another 6 and 8 percent respectively are self-employed. Past that, the work is wherever the buildings and machines are: hospitals and universities with in-house facilities crews, manufacturers, utilities, school districts, local governments and data center operators. Government electricians are the best-paid slice of that occupation in the BLS industry breakdown.

Search by company name as well as job title. EMCOR Group, for one, describes itself on its own site as running approximately 100 operating companies across about 450 U.S. locations with roughly 47,700 employees in mechanical and electrical construction and building services.

⚠️ Who This Field Is Not For

Expect ladders, crawl spaces, attics in August and roofs in January, plus kneeling, lifting and long stretches on your feet. HVAC work peaks with the weather, so the heaviest overtime lands in the hottest and coldest weeks. Construction electricians and pipefitters follow projects, which can mean travel or gaps between jobs. Industrial maintenance is often shift work, nights included, because the plant has to keep running.

Licensing is a hard gate in most states and it is measured in years, not weeks. Employers here commonly run background checks and drug screens, and site access at refineries, utilities and government facilities can require clearance on top. With a record, ask about the specific screen before you invest in training. And if a posting offers journey-level pay to someone with no hours logged, treat it as a red flag, not a break.

🔎 Where to Aim Right Now

Search the trade first, then the entry-level title, then the employer name. "Apprentice" and "helper" surface roles that will train you rather than roles demanding a license you do not have yet.

Start here:

🗺️ Where to Look in Your City

Trades work follows buildings and machines. Each market below has its own LocalJobPage site, and the trade named on each link is a starting point, not a limit.

Not on the list? Find your city.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a college degree to work in the skilled trades?

No. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for electricians, plumbers, welders and industrial machinery mechanics, and a certificate-level postsecondary award for HVAC and refrigeration technicians.

Do apprentices get paid while they train?

Yes. BLS describes electrician and plumber apprenticeships as roughly 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year alongside classroom instruction, over four to five years. Apprentices start at a percentage of the journey-level wage and step up as they log hours.

How long until I am earning the full rate?

Four to five years for a licensed electrician or plumber, roughly four for a millwright. HVAC runs six months to two years of schooling plus on-the-job time. Welding is quickest to a paycheck but carries the lowest median of the five.

Do I need a license?

Usually, and it depends on where the work is performed. Most states license electricians, and most states plus some localities license plumbers, generally after two to five years of experience and an exam. Nearly all HVAC technicians need EPA refrigerant certification. Check your state board before paying any deposit.

Are the trades a safe bet over the long run?

BLS projects growth for four of the five through 2035, from 7 to 14 percent, with welding the exception at 2 percent. Projections are a ten-year model, not a forecast of next year. The firmer number is replacement demand: construction and extraction occupations are projected to average about 587,000 openings a year through 2035.

🧭 Your Next Move

Pick one trade, find what your state requires to be licensed in it, and apply to three apprentice or helper postings this week. Create a free LocalJobPage account to save searches and catch new trade postings as they land, or browse everything currently open.

Employers: if you are filling electrician, HVAC, welding or maintenance roles, candidates are searching by trade and by city right now. Post your openings or see pricing.

Skilled Trades Jobs: What They Pay and How to Get In Without a Degree