SmartPathGuides

How to get into a skilled trade, and what it pays where you live

15 trades, 50 states and DC. Each trade page gives the steps in, how long they take and the ten-year outlook, with the state license cost where it is sourced; each state page gives the full wage spread from the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey (May 2025 estimates) and, where sourced, the state's own licensing requirements.

Start here

The calculators set out the hours, exams and fees on each sourced trade-and-state path as its issuing authorities publish them, and each trade page lays out the steps in.

By state

Each state page ranks the trades by what they pay there.

Pick a trade

How to become an elevator installer Median $109,910 a year · +5.7% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 1,900 openings a year. How to become a lineworker Median $95,320 a year · +10.3% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 10,900 openings a year. How to become a plumber Median $63,800 a year · +6.8% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 42,000 openings a year. How to become an electrician Median $63,190 a year · +9.2% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 72,700 openings a year. How to become an ironworker Median $62,780 a year · +3.1% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 5,900 openings a year. How to become a brickmason Median $62,120 a year · +1.1% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 4,100 openings a year. How to become a sheet metal worker Median $61,800 a year · +2.5% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 9,800 openings a year. How to become a diesel mechanic Median $61,770 a year · +3.6% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 24,400 openings a year. How to become an HVAC technician Median $61,010 a year · +10.9% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 40,600 openings a year. How to become a carpenter Median $60,580 a year · +3.9% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 62,800 openings a year. How to become a heavy equipment operator Median $59,850 a year · +4.6% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 39,200 openings a year. How to become a machinist Median $58,750 a year · +1% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 26,100 openings a year. How to become a truck driver Median $58,640 a year · +3.8% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 214,500 openings a year. How to become a welder Median $53,750 a year · +2.4% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 40,300 openings a year. How to become an auto mechanic Median $50,620 a year · +5% jobs 2025 to 2035 · 66,200 openings a year.

Or compare them

The trade ranking puts all 15 side by side on pay and employment. Each trade page ranks every state, and each state page carries the full wage spread for that state.

Or start from your state

Pick a state and see every trade ranked by what it pays there, with employment beside the pay; the best-paid trade is not the same from one state to the next. Start with the state list.

How to get licensed: 4 trades across 30 states carry the licensing rules: who licenses the work, what each license takes, and its exam and fee where published, each with the pages it was read from (see Texas electricians), and the comparison tool puts every sourced path side by side. More states follow as each board is read.