Location matters in the trades. Union density, cost of living, and local demand create significant wage differences across states. Here's what the numbers actually show.
Pick your state to see the official median annual wage and number of people employed for 25 skilled trades — every trade in our matcher. Median means the honest middle — half earn more, half earn less. Straight from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, no estimates.
👆 Select a state above — all 11 trades appear instantly, ranked by pay.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 state estimates. Median = 50th percentile; half of workers earn more, half earn less. Figures combine union and non-union employment and exclude the self-employed. "N/A" indicates BLS did not publish an estimate for that state (common for smaller occupations like commercial diving). Some related trades share one federal occupation code: Pipefitters are counted with Plumbers, Refrigeration with HVAC, Pipeline Welders with Welders, and Robotics with Automation Technicians.
Deep-dive pages with the full 50-state median pay table for each trade — BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
States with strong union presence (California, New York, Illinois, Washington) have negotiated wage scales that are 20–40% higher than non-union equivalents in other states. Union membership is a major wage driver.
States with high construction volume — driven by population growth, manufacturing reshoring, or infrastructure investment — see higher trade wages due to increased competition for qualified workers.
Texas, Oklahoma, and offshore states see premium wages for pipefitters and industrial maintenance tradespeople driven by oil, gas, and increasingly, renewable energy infrastructure projects.
Our Salary Compare tool shows wages at every career stage — entry, mid, senior, and master — for 25+ trades. Free, no signup required.
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