Skilled trades in Pennsylvania, ranked by pay
Of the 15 trades tracked here, the best paid in Pennsylvania is elevator installers at a median $117,250 a year. Across all 15, 277,620 people are employed in Pennsylvania. 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 | $117,250 | $56.37 | $63,280 – $132,640 | 900 | 7% above | #16 of 37 |
| 2 | Lineworkers (power-line installers) | $106,230 | $51.07 | $64,550 – $122,510 | 4,150 | 11% above | #14 of 51 |
| 3 | Ironworkers | $82,970 | $39.89 | $51,550 – $110,680 | 1,610 | 32% above | #11 of 50 |
| 4 | Brickmasons and blockmasons | $69,560 | $33.44 | $49,690 – $102,760 | 2,910 | 12% above | #15 of 50 |
| 5 | Plumbers and pipefitters | $68,080 | $32.73 | $46,770 – $134,110 | 13,620 | 7% above | #18 of 51 |
| 6 | Electricians | $67,600 | $32.50 | $45,600 – $122,620 | 22,730 | 7% above | #22 of 51 |
| 7 | HVAC technicians | $62,400 | $30.00 | $45,970 – $89,440 | 15,880 | 2% above | #20 of 51 |
| 8 | Diesel mechanics | $61,740 | $29.68 | $45,910 – $80,440 | 12,630 | about the same as | #22 of 51 |
| 9 | Sheet metal workers | $61,400 | $29.52 | $45,660 – $126,430 | 3,260 | 1% below | #29 of 50 |
| 10 | Heavy equipment operators | $60,530 | $29.10 | $46,780 – $94,930 | 22,120 | 1% above | #29 of 51 |
| 11 | Carpenters | $59,370 | $28.54 | $42,970 – $92,110 | 30,630 | 2% below | #26 of 51 |
| 12 | Truck drivers (CDL) | $58,580 | $28.16 | $43,560 – $78,330 | 87,550 | about the same as | #30 of 51 |
| 13 | Machinists | $57,810 | $27.79 | $39,620 – $77,090 | 12,380 | 2% below | #33 of 51 |
| 14 | Welders | $52,900 | $25.43 | $40,510 – $74,870 | 17,850 | 2% below | #30 of 51 |
| 15 | Auto service technicians | $49,800 | $23.94 | $35,600 – $77,630 | 29,400 | 2% below | #29 of 51 |
"State rank" is where Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania median with the national median for the same trade.
How to get licensed in Pennsylvania: How to become a plumber in Pennsylvania · How to become an electrician in Pennsylvania · How to become an HVAC technician in Pennsylvania · How to become a truck driver in Pennsylvania. Each page says who licenses the work and what each license takes, with its exam and its fee where published.
Apprenticeships in Pennsylvania
Registered apprentices in Pennsylvania 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 | 2,689 | 698 | $16.84 | $39.02 |
| Carpenters | 2,056 | 693 | $20.72 | $37.67 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | 1,966 | 462 | $20.68 | $41.50 |
| HVAC technicians | 487 | 134 | $19.87 | $41.50 |
| Sheet metal workers | 451 | 123 | $22.92 | $41.41 |
| Machinists | 334 | 95 | $20.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Lineworkers (power-line installers) | 280 | 64 | $24.00 | $40.23 |
| Heavy equipment operators | 249 | 99 | $20.99 | $27.98 |
| Elevator installers | 226 | 38 | fewer than 50 wages | $48.15 |
| Ironworkers | 220 | 81 | $21.39 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Brickmasons and blockmasons | 199 | 80 | $23.23 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Truck drivers (CDL) | 168 | 282 | $15.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Welders | 104 | 56 | $18.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Auto service technicians | 89 | 64 | $16.00 | fewer than 50 wages |
| Diesel mechanics | 2 | 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 Pennsylvania
Pay is one input, not the answer. A trade that pays a little less but employs far more people in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania ranks against every other state.
Full detail by trade
Elevator installers in Pennsylvania · Lineworkers (power-line installers) in Pennsylvania · Ironworkers in Pennsylvania · Brickmasons and blockmasons in Pennsylvania · Plumbers and pipefitters in Pennsylvania · Electricians in Pennsylvania · HVAC technicians in Pennsylvania · Diesel mechanics in Pennsylvania · Sheet metal workers in Pennsylvania · Heavy equipment operators in Pennsylvania · Carpenters in Pennsylvania · Truck drivers (CDL) in Pennsylvania · Machinists in Pennsylvania · Welders in Pennsylvania · Auto service technicians in Pennsylvania
Or compare these trades nationally on the trade ranking, or pick another state from the state list.
Licensing is sourced in Pennsylvania 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.