Skilled trades in California, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in California is elevator installers at a median $141,180 a year. Across all 15, 659,490 people are employed in California. Each row links to the full wage spread for that trade in the state.
| # | Trade | Median annual | Median hourly | 10th–90th | Employed | vs US | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elevator installers | $141,180 | $67.88 | $74,670 – $173,920 | 1,910 | 28% above | #3 of 37 |
| 2 | Lineworkers (power-line installers) | $129,040 | $62.04 | $77,350 – $167,090 | 8,930 | 35% above | #4 of 51 |
| 3 | Heavy equipment operators | $87,160 | $41.90 | $52,760 – $132,210 | 36,020 | 46% above | #4 of 51 |
| 4 | Sheet metal workers | $76,590 | $36.82 | $47,410 – $132,190 | 8,390 | 24% above | #9 of 50 |
| 5 | Ironworkers | $76,370 | $36.72 | $47,480 – $118,030 | 7,110 | 22% above | #16 of 50 |
| 6 | Electricians | $76,160 | $36.62 | $46,800 – $140,340 | 73,310 | 21% above | #15 of 51 |
| 7 | Carpenters | $75,920 | $36.50 | $47,490 – $119,950 | 100,750 | 25% above | #3 of 51 |
| 8 | Diesel mechanics | $73,950 | $35.55 | $47,180 – $96,730 | 20,940 | 20% above | #5 of 51 |
| 9 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $72,830 | $35.01 | $47,350 – $131,100 | 47,660 | 14% above | #17 of 51 |
| 10 | HVAC technicians | $72,560 | $34.88 | $46,950 – $109,060 | 35,130 | 19% above | #12 of 51 |
| 11 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $69,050 | $33.20 | $49,440 – $108,200 | 3,820 | 11% above | #17 of 50 |
| 12 | Auto service technicians | $64,980 | $31.24 | $38,180 – $95,280 | 65,420 | 28% above | #2 of 51 |
| 13 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $60,230 | $28.96 | $41,830 – $81,960 | 205,090 | 3% above | #19 of 51 |
| 14 | Welders | $58,060 | $27.91 | $44,520 – $81,940 | 26,060 | 8% above | #24 of 51 |
| 15 | Machinists | $57,190 | $27.49 | $37,440 – $88,280 | 18,950 | 3% below | #37 of 51 |
"State rank" is where California places on median pay for that trade among the states and DC with a published median; a low number means the state pays well for it. "vs US" compares the California median with the national median for the same trade.
How to get licensed in California: How to become an electrician in California · How to become a plumber in California · How to become an HVAC technician in California · How to become a truck driver in California. Each page says who licenses the work and what each license takes, with its exam and its fee where published.
Apprenticeships in California
Registered apprentices in California in fiscal year 2024 (October 2023 to September 2024), under the occupation titles the U.S. Department of Labor maps to each trade, with the median wage apprentices started at and the median at completion in fiscal 2023. A median is shown only where 50 or more apprentices carry the wage. The file's fiscal 2024 records largely stop after February 2024.
| Trade | Active, fiscal 2024 | Started, fiscal 2023 | Median starting wage | Median completing wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carpenters | 8,663 | 2,924 | $25.44 | $48.86 |
| Electricians | 7,628 | 1,902 | $21.00 | $54.06 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 4,495 | 1,523 | $24.00 | $51.88 |
| Sheet metal workers | 1,903 | 619 | $22.83 | $55.16 |
| Ironworkers | 1,563 | 704 | $23.10 | $46.20 |
| HVAC technicians | 1,487 | 465 | $27.61 | $51.97 |
| Heavy equipment operators | 1,208 | 494 | $30.98 | $43.84 |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 844 | 250 | $33.46 | $57.96 |
| Elevator installers | 774 | 163 | $31.98 | $51.16 |
| Auto service technicians | 640 | 567 | $18.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Truck drivers (CDL) | 478 | 473 | $16.66 | $20.08 |
| Diesel mechanics | 185 | 56 | $20.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 140 | 57 | $23.60 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Welders | 34 | 12 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Machinists | 29 | 7 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
Hourly wages, in the dollars of fiscal 2023; the starters and the completers are different people. Each trade links to its count and wages in every state. What a wage comes to a week and a year, at your hours →
Which of these to consider in California
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in California can be the easier one to get hired and stay hired in. Weigh the median against the employment column, and against the training time and licensing each trade demands. Open a trade to see its full percentile spread and how California ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Elevator installers in California · Lineworkers (power-line installers) in California · Heavy equipment operators in California · Sheet metal workers in California · Ironworkers in California · Electricians in California · Carpenters in California · Diesel mechanics in California · Plumbers and pipefitters in California · HVAC technicians in California · Brickmasons and blockmasons in California · Auto service technicians in California · Truck drivers (CDL) in California · Welders in California · Machinists in California
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
Licensing is sourced in California for electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and truck drivers; each of those pages carries the licensing rules, with the pages they were read from and the date each was read. Every trade page also gives pay by metro area where BLS publishes it and the registered-apprentice count where the U.S. Department of Labor lists an active apprentice. The pay and employment figures here are the May 2025 BLS estimates; see how the numbers are built.