Skilled trades in Oklahoma, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in Oklahoma is elevator installers at a median $105,430 a year. Across all 15, 93,910 people are employed in Oklahoma. 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 | $105,430 | $50.69 | $36,110 – $122,310 | 140 | 4% below | #21 of 37 |
| 2 | Lineworkers (power-line installers) | $76,010 | $36.54 | $48,630 – $117,020 | 3,290 | 20% below | #49 of 51 |
| 3 | Sheet metal workers | $65,640 | $31.56 | $46,000 – $79,090 | 2,820 | 6% above | #16 of 50 |
| 4 | Electricians | $61,010 | $29.33 | $37,900 – $92,740 | 8,500 | 3% below | #39 of 51 |
| 5 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $57,970 | $27.87 | $37,990 – $82,560 | 6,050 | 9% below | #42 of 51 |
| 6 | HVAC technicians | $57,560 | $27.67 | $36,050 – $79,660 | 5,650 | 6% below | #39 of 51 |
| 7 | Diesel mechanics | $55,340 | $26.61 | $37,250 – $76,130 | 3,970 | 10% below | #47 of 51 |
| 8 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $54,410 | $26.16 | $37,420 – $80,330 | 27,840 | 7% below | #42 of 51 |
| 9 | Machinists | $51,120 | $24.58 | $36,380 – $70,870 | 4,230 | 13% below | #48 of 51 |
| 10 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $50,620 | $24.34 | $40,350 – $68,680 | 580 | 19% below | #43 of 50 |
| 11 | Welders | $49,720 | $23.90 | $37,860 – $70,640 | 9,960 | 7% below | #44 of 51 |
| 12 | Heavy equipment operators | $47,970 | $23.06 | $37,440 – $64,380 | 7,050 | 20% below | #47 of 51 |
| 13 | Ironworkers | $47,660 | $22.92 | $37,790 – $63,670 | 1,140 | 24% below | #48 of 50 |
| 14 | Carpenters | $46,910 | $22.55 | $34,670 – $64,940 | 3,820 | 23% below | #51 of 51 |
| 15 | Auto service technicians | $46,560 | $22.38 | $29,410 – $81,480 | 8,870 | 8% below | #45 of 51 |
"State rank" is where Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma median with the national median for the same trade.
How to get licensed in Oklahoma: How to become an electrician in Oklahoma · How to become a plumber in Oklahoma · How to become an HVAC technician in Oklahoma · How to become a truck driver in Oklahoma. Each page says who licenses the work and what each license takes, with its exam and its fee where published.
Apprenticeships in Oklahoma
Registered apprentices in Oklahoma 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) | 3,172 | 1,818 | $12.25 | $25.50 |
| Electricians | 636 | 307 | $18.00 | $28.98 |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 558 | 325 | $28.00 | $40.00 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 427 | 156 | $17.75 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Sheet metal workers | 102 | 57 | $22.02 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Carpenters | 68 | 29 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Ironworkers | 66 | 41 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Heavy equipment operators | 56 | 30 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| HVAC technicians | 50 | 50 | $16.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Elevator installers | 29 | 3 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Auto service technicians | 23 | 22 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 23 | 4 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Welders | 9 | 4 | fewer than 50 wages | fewer than 50 wages |
| Diesel mechanics | 1 | 1 | 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 Oklahoma
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Elevator installers in Oklahoma · Lineworkers (power-line installers) in Oklahoma · Sheet metal workers in Oklahoma · Electricians in Oklahoma · Plumbers and pipefitters in Oklahoma · HVAC technicians in Oklahoma · Diesel mechanics in Oklahoma · Truck drivers (CDL) in Oklahoma · Machinists in Oklahoma · Brickmasons and blockmasons in Oklahoma · Welders in Oklahoma · Heavy equipment operators in Oklahoma · Ironworkers in Oklahoma · Carpenters in Oklahoma · Auto service technicians in Oklahoma
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
Licensing is sourced in Oklahoma 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.