Of the widely tracked U.S. trades, elevator and escalator techs still earn the highest median: $106,580 for elevator installers and repairers, per BLS May 2024 wage data. Power-line installers come next at $92,560. No bachelor's degree needed for either path.
Hiring runs through paid apprenticeships for most people. Union halls carry a lot of those openings, and so does Apprenticeship.gov. A polished resume on a consumer job board rarely substitutes for the real gate: a sponsor, an aptitude test, and a drug screen.
Remote desk work doesn't fit this line at all. Heights, weather, and overtime ride along with the paycheck. Thin union coverage in some rural counties makes the top titles harder to land, too. Still trying to beat college debt with a hands-on career? Read the wage stack first, then use the listing sources that actually indenture apprentices.
Highest-paying U.S. trades by BLS median
National medians hide city premiums and quiet rural markets. Thing is, the top of the list barely shifts, elevator work first, then linework, then a handful of licensed maintenance trades.
Treat the table as a first filter. It is not your first-year paycheck. Apprentices earn less while they train, and journey-level scale, overtime, and a union book are what push people into the top 10%.
| Trade | Median pay (BLS May 2024) | Top 10% | Common entry path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevator/escalator technician | $106,580 | $149,250 | 4-year apprenticeship |
| Power-line installer/repairer | $92,560 | $126,610 | Utility or union apprenticeship |
| Aircraft avionics technician | $79,140 | $120,080 | Technical program plus on-the-job training |
| Stationary engineer/boiler operator | $75,190 | $121,200 | Long-term on-the-job training and licensing |
| Industrial machinery mechanic | $63,510 | Varies | Employer or trade-school training |
| Plumber, pipefitter, or steamfitter | $62,970 | $105,150 | 4-5 year apprenticeship |
| Electrician | About $59,810 | Often $100,000+ with overtime | 4-5 year apprenticeship |
HVAC technicians cluster near $60,000 in industry estimates, so they sit with electricians on pay rather than with elevator techs. Wind turbine and solar work show up more in the growth numbers than in this median table. Construction supervision can pay more once you have years of site experience behind you. Not an entry trade.
What actually changes your pay
Union membership has long been tied to higher weekly earnings. Region, overtime, and specialty do as much work as the job title does. Electricians with renewable or controls tickets tend to see more callbacks. HVAC techs with EPA credentials clear more commercial posts. Pipe trades in medical gas or industrial shops out-earn house calls.
Your zip code can swing pay harder than the occupation name on a ranking. A lineworker on storm restoration in a dense metro is not living on the same number as someone maintaining quiet rural distribution with little overtime, and BLS locality tables show that gap more honestly than a single national median ever will if you actually sit down and compare two cities for the same job code, which almost nobody bothers to do before moving. Check the local table anyway.
Cost-of-living adjusted ranks aren't in this dataset. Run CareerOneStop wage comparisons or BLS state profiles before you relocate.
Checklist if you want the high end of each range:
- Get on a union list early in a local that has work
- Collect the tickets job posts name (OSHA, EPA, manufacturer)
- Specialize in high-voltage, medical gas, controls, or renewables
- Chase plant, utility, and infrastructure work, not only house calls
Electrician, plumber, or HVAC
People treat these three as interchangeable. To be honest, the medians sit closer together than forum arguments suggest.
Electricians land near a $59,810 median, and growth runs faster than average thanks to electrification, charging gear, and the controls going into new commercial buildings. The apprenticeship still takes 4-5 years. You'll touch live circuits. Plenty of jobs put you on heights too.
The median for plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters sits at $62,970. In the figures used here, growth runs around 4-6% through 2033. Plenty of journeyworkers open their own shop after 10-15 years in the field. The work is wet and tight. If confined spaces bother you, don't force it.
HVAC is the shortest ramp of the three. Certificate programs often run 11 months to 2 years. Pay sits near $60,000 in industry estimates with roughly 8% growth, and EPA rules gate the refrigerant work. Hospitals and commercial contracts keep the calendar full.
Pick electrical if you like code and new energy systems. Plumbers get the clearer path to owning the truck. HVAC wins when you need a faster credential plus year-round service demand.
Trades with the fastest growth
Wind turbine technicians lead published expansion at over 50% through 2033 in BLS employment projections. Solar PV installers follow around 48%.
Starting pay for those titles usually trails elevator and linework. The growth rate is the argument, not the day-one wage. Electricians still grow faster than average. Infrastructure spending tied to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has supported demand through 2028. Many of the new energy jobs sit on remote sites or ask for travel, and that lifestyle filter matters more than the percentage on a chart.
Where these jobs get posted
A generic job-search app is a weak first stop. Turns out hiring for the top-paying trades still runs through sponsors, union halls, and utilities.
Work the list in this order:
- Search Apprenticeship.gov by occupation and zip code. It's the federal listing hub for registered apprenticeships, elevator, electrical, linework, and pipe trades included.
- Call the joint apprenticeship committee or the union hall. IBEW locals run many electrician pipelines and some linework. Elevator constructors and the pipe trades keep separate halls.
- Watch utility and contractor training pages for lineworker classes. Those cohorts open on their calendar.
- Once you have hours or a license, employer sites and public boards come into play for journey-level jobs. Check local wages on CareerOneStop before you accept any number.
- Read the BLS elevator installer outlook plus the matching Handbook pages for your trade, so you know the physical and license bars before interview day.
Registered apprenticeships pay you while you learn. Helper ads on consumer boards often want someone who already owns tools. Those are different products. Don't mix them up on your tracker.
Resume software helps later, once you're a journeyworker applying to contractors that run an ATS. For a first apprenticeship, the packet is usually their form, your diploma or GED, a driver's license, and showing up on time for the test. A "team player" summary paragraph won't get you into an elevator class.
Getting in without a degree
A high school diploma or GED is the common floor. What the brochures leave out: a strong elevator or linework list can take longer than promised. You apply, you wait, you apply again if the class is full. That happens more than people admit on a first visit to a hall.
Start with the diploma. Then apply to a registered apprenticeship, or to a trade school that feeds one. Elevator and linework lean hard on apprenticeships. HVAC often starts with a short certificate instead. Collect OSHA, EPA 608, and any state license the postings name. Join the union when your local is indenturing. Keep a simple hour log too, because later applications will ask who you worked for and on what sites.
Fieldwork is the job. If you can't do it, pick a different occupation family.
FAQ
Is HVAC a high-paying trade? It can be. Growth runs about 8% through 2033, and steady building work supports the role. Medians cluster near $60,000. Short programs make it realistic for career changers. EPA credentials get you more interviews.
Does an electrician or a plumber earn more? Medians sit close, roughly $60,000 to $63,000 on May 2024 BLS figures. Electricians carry the better growth outlook. Plumbers have the clearer shot at owning a shop. Overtime can flip either ranking.
What are average trade salaries? Construction and extraction occupations as a group had a $58,360 median in BLS May 2024 data. The skilled trades on this page run from about $60,000 up to $106,580.
Which no-degree trade pays the most? Elevator and escalator technicians. The median sits at $106,580, and apprenticeships are the entry route.
How fast are wind turbine jobs growing? Among the fastest, at over 50% through 2033. Pay often starts above $50,000 in the estimates used here. Confirm the local rate before you relocate for a site.
Open Apprenticeship.gov, filter by your state, and submit one registered-program application this week. If electrical work is the goal, also call the nearest IBEW hall and ask when they indenture apprentices.