Skilled trades in Kentucky, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in Kentucky is lineworkers at a median $77,020 a year. Across the 14 with a published employment count, 104,450 people are employed in Kentucky. 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 | Lineworkers (power-line installers) | $77,020 | $37.03 | $47,770 – $102,400 | 2,930 | 19% below | #44 of 51 |
| 2 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $64,160 | $30.84 | $44,860 – $94,710 | 6,360 | 1% above | #24 of 51 |
| 3 | Ironworkers | $64,060 | $30.80 | $48,240 – $98,360 | 990 | 2% above | #25 of 50 |
| 4 | Sheet metal workers | $60,680 | $29.17 | $40,570 – $85,310 | 2,210 | 2% below | #30 of 50 |
| 5 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $59,820 | $28.76 | $36,650 – $77,920 | 780 | 4% below | #31 of 50 |
| 6 | Electricians | $59,720 | $28.71 | $37,110 – $85,260 | 11,030 | 5% below | #43 of 51 |
| 7 | Machinists | $58,660 | $28.20 | $39,070 – $78,020 | 6,040 | about the same as | #29 of 51 |
| 8 | HVAC technicians | $58,620 | $28.18 | $38,790 – $80,020 | 5,100 | 4% below | #37 of 51 |
| 9 | Heavy equipment operators | $57,780 | $27.78 | $44,620 – $80,890 | 7,050 | 3% below | #35 of 51 |
| 10 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $56,340 | $27.09 | $38,670 – $85,630 | 31,760 | 4% below | #39 of 51 |
| 11 | Diesel mechanics | $55,480 | $26.67 | $38,250 – $80,500 | 3,890 | 10% below | #46 of 51 |
| 12 | Carpenters | $52,680 | $25.33 | $36,760 – $72,960 | 8,540 | 13% below | #35 of 51 |
| 13 | Welders | $51,470 | $24.74 | $39,300 – $69,010 | 6,630 | 4% below | #33 of 51 |
| 14 | Auto service technicians | $44,890 | $21.58 | $30,210 – $73,910 | 11,140 | 11% below | #48 of 51 |
| 15 | Elevator installers | $42,670 | $20.51 | $39,420 – $98,480 | not published | 61% below | #37 of 37 |
"State rank" is where Kentucky 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 Kentucky median with the national median for the same trade.
How to get licensed in Kentucky: How to become a plumber in Kentucky · How to become an electrician in Kentucky · How to become an HVAC technician in Kentucky · How to become a truck driver in Kentucky. Each page says who licenses the work and what each license takes, with its exam and its fee where published.
Apprenticeships in Kentucky
Registered apprentices in Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricians | 1,811 | 814 | $15.57 | $25.16 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 730 | 289 | $21.10 | $36.81 |
| Carpenters | 633 | 484 | $19.76 | $29.17 |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 383 | 176 | $26.45 | $41.73 |
| Ironworkers | 216 | 144 | $19.55 | fewer than 50 wages |
| HVAC technicians | 196 | 70 | $21.10 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Sheet metal workers | 153 | 86 | $17.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Welders | 143 | 70 | $21.10 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Heavy equipment operators | 116 | 71 | $18.02 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Elevator installers | 67 | 17 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Truck drivers (CDL) | 61 | 85 | $15.75 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Auto service technicians | 56 | 42 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Machinists | 45 | 33 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 35 | 21 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Diesel mechanics | 16 | 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 Kentucky
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in Kentucky 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 Kentucky ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Lineworkers (power-line installers) in Kentucky · Plumbers and pipefitters in Kentucky · Ironworkers in Kentucky · Sheet metal workers in Kentucky · Brickmasons and blockmasons in Kentucky · Electricians in Kentucky · Machinists in Kentucky · HVAC technicians in Kentucky · Heavy equipment operators in Kentucky · Truck drivers (CDL) in Kentucky · Diesel mechanics in Kentucky · Carpenters in Kentucky · Welders in Kentucky · Auto service technicians in Kentucky · Elevator installers in Kentucky
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
Licensing is sourced in Kentucky for plumbers, electricians, 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.