Skilled trades in Michigan, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in Michigan is lineworkers at a median $106,890 a year. Across all 15, 215,460 people are employed in Michigan. 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) | $106,890 | $51.39 | $65,480 – $131,570 | 2,800 | 12% above | #13 of 51 |
| 2 | Elevator installers | $99,140 | $47.67 | $47,820 – $142,110 | 560 | 10% below | #27 of 37 |
| 3 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $80,190 | $38.56 | $46,560 – $103,430 | 14,120 | 26% above | #9 of 51 |
| 4 | Electricians | $76,270 | $36.67 | $42,980 – $103,120 | 23,530 | 21% above | #14 of 51 |
| 5 | Sheet metal workers | $64,490 | $31.01 | $40,940 – $96,390 | 4,000 | 4% above | #19 of 50 |
| 6 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $63,500 | $30.53 | $48,400 – $90,930 | 2,240 | 2% above | #24 of 50 |
| 7 | Ironworkers | $62,830 | $30.21 | $41,260 – $79,150 | 1,750 | about the same as | #26 of 50 |
| 8 | Heavy equipment operators | $62,690 | $30.14 | $46,370 – $90,580 | 9,500 | 5% above | #19 of 51 |
| 9 | Carpenters | $61,680 | $29.66 | $44,550 – $81,860 | 18,590 | 2% above | #19 of 51 |
| 10 | Diesel mechanics | $61,420 | $29.53 | $45,240 – $81,010 | 9,020 | 1% below | #25 of 51 |
| 11 | HVAC technicians | $60,850 | $29.26 | $40,210 – $95,290 | 12,590 | about the same as | #25 of 51 |
| 12 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $57,180 | $27.49 | $40,280 – $73,980 | 60,800 | 2% below | #35 of 51 |
| 13 | Auto service technicians | $54,120 | $26.02 | $36,110 – $79,060 | 22,280 | 7% above | #18 of 51 |
| 14 | Machinists | $52,360 | $25.17 | $38,370 – $75,330 | 20,350 | 11% below | #45 of 51 |
| 15 | Welders | $49,990 | $24.03 | $39,090 – $70,200 | 13,330 | 7% below | #41 of 51 |
"State rank" is where Michigan 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 Michigan median with the national median for the same trade.
How to get licensed in Michigan: How to become a plumber in Michigan · How to become an electrician in Michigan · How to become an HVAC technician in Michigan · How to become a truck driver in Michigan. Each page says who licenses the work and what each license takes, with its exam and its fee where published.
Apprenticeships in Michigan
Registered apprentices in Michigan 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 | 3,553 | 1,340 | $17.31 | $34.41 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 1,857 | 612 | $19.91 | $39.01 |
| Carpenters | 1,551 | 572 | $19.34 | $28.52 |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 923 | 264 | $30.57 | $45.82 |
| Sheet metal workers | 552 | 207 | $19.70 | $40.10 |
| Heavy equipment operators | 397 | 115 | $17.54 | $34.20 |
| Ironworkers | 356 | 67 | $21.05 | $34.85 |
| HVAC technicians | 293 | 119 | $19.95 | $35.95 |
| Machinists | 230 | 119 | $17.83 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 218 | 102 | $21.42 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Elevator installers | 173 | 61 | $29.91 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Truck drivers (CDL) | 82 | 118 | $15.38 | $18.50 |
| Diesel mechanics | 66 | 27 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Welders | 47 | 21 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Auto service technicians | 33 | 32 | 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 Michigan
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in Michigan 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 Michigan ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Lineworkers (power-line installers) in Michigan · Elevator installers in Michigan · Plumbers and pipefitters in Michigan · Electricians in Michigan · Sheet metal workers in Michigan · Brickmasons and blockmasons in Michigan · Ironworkers in Michigan · Heavy equipment operators in Michigan · Carpenters in Michigan · Diesel mechanics in Michigan · HVAC technicians in Michigan · Truck drivers (CDL) in Michigan · Auto service technicians in Michigan · Machinists in Michigan · Welders in Michigan
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
Licensing is sourced in Michigan 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.