Most "highest paying trades" lists are built from job-board averages, which are self-reported and skew high. This one uses BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual medians, the same dataset the salary pages on this site are built from. Every figure below carries its SOC code so you can check it at source.
One thing is true of every trade on the list: the credential is what unlocks the top of the band, and it is always the fastest route there.
The ranking, by national median
BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual medians. The top-10% column is the P90 for the same SOC code. Compare any of these against your own state and city with the salary calculator.
1. Elevator installers and repairers, $109,910
SOC 47-4021. The best-paid field trade in the country by a wide margin, and the hardest to enter. Elevator work is licensed in most states, apprenticeships are typically run through the industry's own four-year NEIEP programme, and intakes are small and heavily oversubscribed because the work is safety-critical and almost entirely unionised.
The credential that unlocks the top of the band is the state elevator mechanic licence plus the completed apprenticeship. Modernisation and controls work on high-rise banks is where the top decile, near $158,890, actually sits.
2. Electrical power-line workers, $95,320
SOC 49-9051. Utility line work pays a large premium for hazard and for call-out: storm restoration and transmission work carry overtime that the median does not capture. The top decile runs near $128,690.
Entry is through a utility or IBEW apprenticeship, usually three to four years, plus a CDL in most jurisdictions and OSHA 30. Transmission and substation qualification is what separates the top of the band from distribution work.
3. Boilermakers, $76,410
SOC 47-2011. A small trade with heavy industrial demand: power stations, refineries, and pressure-vessel work. The trade is travel-heavy and outage-driven, which is part of why the median is high and the hours are unpredictable.
The credential that pays here is welding qualification, specifically ASME Section IX procedure qualification for pressure work. A boilermaker who can pass a 6G pipe test and a code weld is at the top of the band, not the middle.
4. Plumbers and pipefitters, $63,800
SOC 47-2152, covering plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters, 465,840 workers. The national median understates the trade badly: the P90 is $108,420, and metro union scale is higher still. The Chicago metro median is $103,380, well above the national P75.
Two credentials move the number: the state plumbing licence, and 6G pipe-welding qualification. A welder-qualified fitter tracks the P75 at roughly $85,110, about $21,000 above journeyman scale. Details in the pipefitter salary guide and the plumbing licence guide.
5. Electricians, $63,190
SOC 47-2111. The median is mid-table, but the ceiling is one of the highest of any trade: $108,510 at P90, and a master licence carries a median near $88,400. That is a $25,000 gap on the same hours, which is the clearest credential premium in the trades.
Add controls and PLC work, NFPA 70E, and data-center experience, and the top of the range opens up. The state-by-state and city-by-city figures are in the electrician salary guide.
What actually moves you up a band
Across all eleven trades in the table, the same four levers separate the median from the P90:
- ✓The top licence tier. Master, contractor or mechanic licences are the single biggest jump available in any licensed trade.
- ✓A welding or code qualification. ASME Section IX, 6G pipe, and AWS structural tickets pay in fabrication, power and process work regardless of your job title.
- ✓Industrial and utility sectors. The same trade pays more on a refinery, a substation or a data center than in residential work, and the differential is usually five figures.
- ✓Union or high-scale metros. The Chicago plumber median of $103,380 against a $63,800 national figure is what geography plus scale is worth.
The trade you pick sets the floor. The credential you hold sets the ceiling. If you are choosing between paths, start with the salary hub and the licence hub, then work backwards from the band you want to reach.
- ✓Elevator installers (SOC 47-4021) lead the field trades at a $109,910 median, with the top decile near $158,890.
- ✓Every trade in the top five is licence-gated or certification-gated. The credential, not the job title, is what pays.
- ✓The 90th percentile matters more than the median: electricians clear $108,510 at P90 despite a $63,190 median.
- ✓Union scale and metro premiums can outrank the national ranking entirely. Chicago plumbers hold a $103,380 metro median against a $63,800 national figure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest paying skilled trade in 2026?
Elevator installers and repairers (SOC 47-4021), with a BLS OEWS May 2025 national median of $109,910 and a top decile near $158,890. Electrical power-line workers (49-9051, $95,320) and boilermakers (47-2011, $76,410) follow.
Which trade pays the most without a licence?
Boilermakers and millwrights are the highest-paid trades that are certification-gated rather than state-licence-gated, at $76,410 and $65,700 medians respectively. Both rely on welding and NCCER qualifications instead of a state board licence.
Do electricians or plumbers earn more?
Plumbers and pipefitters (SOC 47-2152) hold a slightly higher national median at $63,800 against $63,190 for electricians (47-2111), but electricians have the higher ceiling: a P90 of $108,510 versus $108,420, and a master licence median near $88,400.
How much do welders make?
The BLS OEWS May 2025 national median for welders, cutters, solderers and brazers (SOC 51-4121) is $53,750, with a P10 of $39,240 and a P90 of $77,530. Pipe welders with 6G qualification and code tickets earn well above the median.
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers (47-4021)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers (49-9051)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Boilermakers (47-2011)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Plumbers, Pipefitters and Steamfitters (47-2152)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Welders, Cutters, Solderers and Brazers (51-4121)
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