The 10 highest-paying trade jobs to go for in 2024

A traditional 4-year college degree isn’t the only path to a lucrative career. Trade jobs such as welding, carpentry, or plumbing offer comfortable pay and job stability without having to invest time and money into a bachelor’s degree. Trade school, which offers hands-on training in skilled trades, is cheaper and takes less time than traditional universities, allowing for quicker entry to the workforce with little to no debt.

In this article, we take a look at the highest-paying trade jobs in the U.S. this year, along with how to secure one for yourself and benefits to expect.

What are trade jobs?

A trade job is a job that requires a particular set of skills and knowledge typically learned in apprenticeships or vocational training.

Trade jobs can be found in most major industries, such as:

1. Construction (e.g., crane operators and carpenters)
2. Agriculture (e.g., agricultural equipment mechanics and operators)
3. Transportation and material moving (e.g., heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers)
4. Services (e.g., nail technicians and massage therapists)
5. Manufacturing (e.g, welders and industrial mechanics)

Trade schools, sometimes called technical schools or vocational schools, provide job-specific training in a skilled trade. Programs take between a few months to 2 years to complete and result in a certificate or associate’s degree.

Highest-paid trade jobs

The average pay across all jobs in the U.S. is $65,470, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

With median earnings of $102,240 a year, elevator and escalator installers and repairers are the highest-paid trade workers in the country.

Read on to discover the most well-paid trades in 2024 and what you’ll need to get one yourself.

More trade jobs that pay well

Below are other skilled trades that offer good pay for the educational level and training they require.

Most in-demand trades with high salaries

If you’re just as concerned about job stability as you are about earning a comfortable paycheck, we’ve rounded up the most in-demand skilled trades that pay well.

Wind turbine technicians have become the fastest-growing job in the United States, with a 45% projected growth from 2022-2032 according to the BLS.

Fast-growing trade jobs

Below are well-paid trade jobs that are projected to grow faster than the national average. As of 2024, the average growth rate is 3% for all jobs.

Trade jobs projected to decline

Several of the highest-paying skilled trades in the U.S. are expected to decline, attributed to factors like automation and a decreased reliance on fossil fuels.

Skilled trades projected to fall in demand between 2022-2032 include power plant operators (-10% growth), boilermakers (-4%), construction and building inspectors (-2%), and masonry workers (-3%), according to the BLS.

Job growth is stable among trade jobs like truck drivers, electrical linemen, plumbers, and carpenters, projected by the BLS to be as fast as the 3% national average.

Benefits of trade jobs

Trade jobs come with several benefits, from lower educational costs to stable, well-paid work. Below are just a few reasons to join a skilled trade.

1. Skilled tradespeople are in demand – and pay trends reflect that.

Many sectors, construction and manufacturing in particular, are facing a skilled labor shortage due to a significant portion of their employees approaching retirement age. Amidst increased competition for new talent, average wages for skilled trades have risen by over 20% since 2020, as reported in a McKinsey & Company analysis.

Several skilled trades appear in the fastest-growing occupations list from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including wine turbine technicians, solar photovoltaic installers, and massage therapists.

2. Trade jobs need less formal education.

Some trades require a certificate or associate’s degree for licensure, which take 2 years at most to acquire, while many others only require a high school diploma and on-the-job training.

With less time in school, tradespeople access the labor force more quickly, and often with significantly less debt, than their peers in traditional universities.

3. Learning a trade costs less than earning a traditional 4-year degree.

Traditional 4-year universities can cost nearly 10 times more than trade schools, with average tuition fees of $9,834 at public universities, $18,241 at private for-profit universities, $40,713 at private nonprofit universities.

2-year institutions, where many vocational and technical programs are offered, cost between $4,027 (public) to $19,517 (private nonprofit) on average, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).

Depending on the trade, training can come at no additional cost, with most apprenticeships based on an “earn-while-you-learn” model.

How to get a trade job

To secure a trade job, you’ll need to become proficient in a skilled trade, which involves following one or a combination of the steps below.

How to learn a trade

• Earn a high school diploma or equivalent, which is a minimum requirement in nearly all trades.
• Complete a specialized program at a trade school or community college and earn a certificate or associate’s degree. Programs range from a few months to 2 years in length.
• Do an apprenticeship program for 1-6 years and earn paid on-the-job experience in the meantime. Hourly pay typically increases the longer you stay in the program.
• Gain more on-the-job training in-house through an employer.

Final thoughts

As we’ve seen, many of the highest-paying trade jobs are available without a college degree. These jobs offer rewarding (and often challenging) work in sectors eager for new tradespeople.

Remember that all trades have distinct educational and training requirements in each state. License Finder from CareerOneStop, a project of the Department of Labor, is a good resource for checking licensure requirements by occupation and state.

Ready to start your educational journey to a well-paid trade? Find the best online certificate or associate’s degree programs for your desired trade by taking the quiz below.