How do you get into the construction trades, and what do they pay?

You can start most construction trades with a high school diploma or less and learn the work on the job. Electricians earn a median $63,190 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025] a year. Plumbers and pipefitters earn $63,800 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025], and carpenters $60,580 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]. For electricians, BLS describes the typical way in as: High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28].

That last word, apprenticeship, is the thing to understand first.

Pay is the median annual wage for the whole United States. Figures last pulled October 2, 2026. Each number is followed, in brackets, by its publisher and date.

An apprenticeship is a job with the school built in

In a registered apprenticeship you are employed from the start, working beside experienced tradespeople and taking classroom instruction alongside. You are on an employer's payroll while you learn, rather than finishing a course first and then looking for work.

BLS lists an apprenticeship as the typical way in for 11 [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), counted by HighPathways, United States, retrieved 2026-09-28] of the 25 jobs here, including electricians, plumbers, carpenters and elevator installers. Elevator and escalator installers earn $109,910 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025] a year, the highest pay in this group.

The other door: straight to work

Not every trade runs through an apprenticeship. Roofers, painters, cement masons and drywall installers list no formal educational credential and from one month to a year of on-the-job training. Roofers earn $55,440 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025] a year and painters $49,400 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025].

Construction laborers earn $47,120 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025], with less than a month of on-the-job training. BLS expects 120,000 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035] openings a year for laborers, more than for any other job in this group. The pay is lower, and so is the barrier to starting.

Read growth and openings together

A growth percentage says whether a job is getting bigger. Openings say how much room there is, because BLS counts new jobs and the jobs people leave behind. Solar photovoltaic installers are projected to grow +36.5% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035] over ten years, the fastest in this group, which comes to 4,200 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035] openings a year. Electricians are projected to grow +9.2% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035] and have 72,700 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035] openings a year. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers are projected to change −5.3% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035], with 1,000 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035] openings a year. Which of those matters most depends on what you are deciding.

Construction trades jobs, side by side

Median pay is the national median annual wage: half the people in the job earn more, half less. Openings a year is a BLS projection that counts people leaving the job as well as new jobs, so it measures turnover, not positions open today. Where we hold no verified figure it says Provisional, never an estimate.

Electrician
Install and repair wiring on job sites, read blueprints, and troubleshoot electrical systems in homes and businesses.
Median pay
$63,190 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]
Openings a year
72,700 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Projected change in jobs, ten years
+9.2% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Typical way in, as BLS lists it
High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Install and repair water, gas, and drainage pipes, read blueprints, solder fittings, and diagnose leaks in homes and commercial buildings.
Median pay
$63,800 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]
Openings a year
42,000 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Projected change in jobs, ten years
+6.8% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Typical way in, as BLS lists it
High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Carpenters
Measure, cut, and assemble wood and framing, read blueprints, build walls, stairs, and forms with hand and power tools.
Median pay
$60,580 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]
Openings a year
62,800 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Projected change in jobs, ten years
+3.9% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Typical way in, as BLS lists it
High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers
Install, test, and repair elevators and escalators, wiring controls, adjusting mechanisms, and troubleshooting systems to keep them running safely.
Median pay
$109,910 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]
Openings a year
1,900 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Projected change in jobs, ten years
+5.7% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Typical way in, as BLS lists it
High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Construction Equipment Operators
Operate bulldozers, excavators, and graders to move earth, dig trenches, and shape sites, using levers and controls to grade to plan.
Median pay
$59,850 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]
Openings a year
39,200 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Projected change in jobs, ten years
+4.6% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Typical way in, as BLS lists it
High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Construction Laborers
Load and move materials, dig, operate hand and power tools, set up and clean job sites, and assist skilled tradespeople across tasks.
Median pay
$47,120 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]
Openings a year
120,000 [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Projected change in jobs, ten years
+7.3% [BLS Employment Projections, United States, 2025–2035]
Typical way in, as BLS lists it
No formal educational credential · No work experience · Less than 1 month on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]

Verification required

Licences and credentials

Many of these trades are licensed by states or cities, and the rules differ by place. We do not list them, and nothing on this page certifies that an apprenticeship or a class meets a licensing requirement. Check with your state's licensing board before you commit to a program.

CareerOneStop's License Finder lists licensing requirements by state.

What this page cannot tell you

22 [O*NET RAPIDS crosswalk, U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA, counted by HighPathways, United States, 2026-03] of the 25 jobs have a registered apprenticeship in the federal register. That tells you a route exists. It does not tell you that a program near you is taking applications, and nobody publishes that in a form we can check.

No registered apprenticeship is listed for first-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades, solar Photovoltaic Installers, and hazardous Materials Removal Workers.

What it does not include: what apprentices are paid while they train, what a program costs, or pay in your state or city.

All 25 construction trades jobs we cover

Ordered by median annual pay, highest first. Pay is national.
Job	Median pay	Typical way in, as BLS lists it
Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers	$109,910 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades	$79,920 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · 5 years or more work experience · No on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Boilermakers	$76,410 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Construction and Building Inspectors	$74,690 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · 5 years or more work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Tapers	$68,270 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$63,800 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Electrician	$63,190 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Structural Iron and Steel Workers	$62,780 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$62,120 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Sheet Metal Workers	$61,800 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Carpenters	$60,580 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Construction Equipment Operators	$59,850 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers	$58,970 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers	$58,930 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Plasterers and Stucco Masons	$57,660 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · More than 1 year on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Stonemasons	$57,390 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Glaziers	$57,080 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · Apprenticeship [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	$57,020 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Tile and Stone Setters	$55,690 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · More than 1 year on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Roofers	$55,440 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Solar Photovoltaic Installers	$53,140 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers	$49,450 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	High school diploma or equivalent · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Painters, Construction and Maintenance	$49,400 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · 1 to 12 months on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall	$49,120 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · Less than 1 month on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]
Construction Laborers	$47,120 [CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), United States, 2025]	No formal educational credential · No work experience · Less than 1 month on-the-job training [CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28]

Where these numbers come from

Every figure on this page was published by someone other than us and is shown as published. Figures last pulled October 2, 2026. A figure we cannot source is marked Provisional, and one the publisher does not measure says so. Both appear on the page itself, not behind a tap.

Median pay CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS), 2025. About this source
Projected change in jobs over ten years BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035. About this source
Openings a year BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035. About this source
Typical way in CareerOneStop (BLS Employment Projections), retrieved 2026-09-28. About this source
Registered apprenticeship titles O*NET RAPIDS crosswalk, U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA, 2026-03. About this source

The provisional flag and every publisher's terms are explained on Where our numbers come from.

Found something wrong? Email hello@highpathways.com and name the page and the figure. It goes to a person at HighPathways.

Wages, time-to-entry, education levels, state licensing and local training programs sourced via CareerOneStop (BLS OEWS; BLS Employment Projections; License Finder; Local Training Finder: NCES IPEDS and US DOL ETP/WIOA), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration and operated by the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development. Shown as published.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. HighPathways has modified some of this information: we shorten O*NET’s official occupation titles so they read the way people say them; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay and cost figures are sourced separately and listed on the Data sources page.

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