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Skilled trades in North Carolina, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in North Carolina is elevator installers at a median $107,700 a year. Across all 15, 213,930 people are employed in North Carolina. 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 | $107,700 | $51.78 | $46,710 – $123,770 | 240 | 2% below | #20 of 37 |
| 2 | Lineworkers (power-line installers) | $77,270 | $37.15 | $48,180 – $105,430 | 5,650 | 19% below | #43 of 51 |
| 3 | Diesel mechanics | $57,490 | $27.64 | $39,890 – $76,240 | 11,070 | 7% below | #44 of 51 |
| 4 | HVAC technicians | $57,260 | $27.53 | $37,780 – $77,160 | 15,230 | 6% below | #40 of 51 |
| 5 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $57,080 | $27.44 | $38,860 – $75,850 | 14,510 | 11% below | #44 of 51 |
| 6 | Electricians | $56,800 | $27.31 | $40,130 – $75,060 | 21,640 | 10% below | #49 of 51 |
| 7 | Machinists | $55,230 | $26.56 | $37,110 – $75,570 | 8,330 | 6% below | #42 of 51 |
| 8 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $51,530 | $24.77 | $39,400 – $76,360 | 62,400 | 12% below | #46 of 51 |
| 9 | Sheet metal workers | $50,730 | $24.39 | $37,280 – $78,020 | 2,780 | 18% below | #40 of 50 |
| 10 | Welders | $50,590 | $24.32 | $38,540 – $71,240 | 11,750 | 6% below | #37 of 51 |
| 11 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $49,940 | $24.01 | $38,270 – $61,590 | 1,760 | 20% below | #44 of 50 |
| 12 | Heavy equipment operators | $49,310 | $23.71 | $39,050 – $64,450 | 16,580 | 18% below | #45 of 51 |
| 13 | Carpenters | $49,100 | $23.61 | $35,620 – $63,160 | 13,480 | 19% below | #44 of 51 |
| 14 | Ironworkers | $48,740 | $23.43 | $36,780 – $79,130 | 2,000 | 22% below | #46 of 50 |
| 15 | Auto service technicians | $48,200 | $23.17 | $31,500 – $79,610 | 26,510 | 5% below | #40 of 51 |
"State rank" is where North Carolina 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 North Carolina median with the national median for the same trade.
How to get licensed in North Carolina: How to become an HVAC technician in North Carolina · How to become a plumber in North Carolina · How to become an electrician in North Carolina · How to become a truck driver in North Carolina. Each page says who licenses the work and what each license takes, with its exam and its fee where published.
Apprenticeships in North Carolina
Registered apprentices in North Carolina 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truck drivers (CDL) | 146 | 243 | $11.50 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Electricians | 124 | 82 | $18.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 102 | 53 | $23.69 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Auto service technicians | 95 | 97 | $16.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Carpenters | 58 | 22 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 57 | 31 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| HVAC technicians | 22 | 6 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Machinists | 16 | 8 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Ironworkers | 13 | 9 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Elevator installers | 10 | 6 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Sheet metal workers | 7 | 5 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Heavy equipment operators | 5 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Welders | 4 | 1 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Diesel mechanics | 2 | 0 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 1 | 0 | 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 North Carolina
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in North Carolina 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 North Carolina ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Elevator installers in North Carolina · Lineworkers (power-line installers) in North Carolina · Diesel mechanics in North Carolina · HVAC technicians in North Carolina · Plumbers and pipefitters in North Carolina · Electricians in North Carolina · Machinists in North Carolina · Truck drivers (CDL) in North Carolina · Sheet metal workers in North Carolina · Welders in North Carolina · Brickmasons and blockmasons in North Carolina · Heavy equipment operators in North Carolina · Carpenters in North Carolina · Ironworkers in North Carolina · Auto service technicians in North Carolina
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
Licensing is sourced in North Carolina for HVAC technicians, plumbers, electricians, 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.