Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Charlotte

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 25 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in Charlotte, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrConstruction manager: $51.54 (cost-of-living adjusted $52.97)Construction manager$51.54Lineman: $39.30 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.39)Lineman$39.30Wind turbine technician: $37.48 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.52)Wind turbine technician$37.48Construction supervisor: $37.16 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.19)Construction supervisor$37.16Millwright: $31.43 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.30)Millwright$31.43Crane operator: $30.43 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.27)Crane operator$30.43Diesel mechanic: $28.99 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.79)Diesel mechanic$28.99Machinist: $28.95 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.75)Machinist$28.95HVAC technician: $28.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.57)HVAC technician$28.77Electrician: $28.41 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.20)Electrician$28.41Plumber: $28.22 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.00)Plumber$28.22Welder: $26.96 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.71)Welder$26.96Brickmason: $25.24 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.94)Brickmason$25.24Carpenter: $24.50 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.18)Carpenter$24.50Heavy equipment operator: $24.46 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.14)Heavy equipment operator$24.46Sheet metal worker: $24.46 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.14)Sheet metal worker$24.46Roofer: $23.28 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.93)Roofer$23.28Ironworker: $23.22 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.86)Ironworker$23.22Glazier: $23.20 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.84)Glazier$23.20Cement mason: $23.17 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.81)Cement mason$23.17Solar installer: $22.10 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.71)Solar installer$22.10Drywall installer: $22.07 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.68)Drywall installer$22.07Construction laborer: $22.04 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.65)Construction laborer$22.04Painter: $21.59 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.19)Painter$21.59Insulation worker: $21.40 (cost-of-living adjusted $21.99)Insulation worker$21.40
Median hourly wage by trade, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 97.3).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$33.16$51.54$84.24$107,2005,4501% above7% below
2Lineman$22.15$39.30$52.62$81,7401,1306% above14% below
3Wind turbine technician$28.75$37.48$64.98$77,9504017% above22% above
4Construction supervisor$27.61$37.16$51.48$77,3009,6703% above3% below
5Millwright$23.00$31.43$39.66$65,3603004% above1% below
6Crane operator$24.24$30.43$39.77$63,3003002% below7% below
7Diesel mechanic$18.45$28.99$37.97$60,3003,3505% above2% below
8Machinist$19.17$28.95$36.58$60,2102,3909% above3% above
9HVAC technician$19.29$28.77$38.08$59,8403,8605% above2% below
10Electrician$21.04$28.41$36.69$59,0805,2504% above6% below
11Plumber$20.35$28.22$36.54$58,6903,8403% above8% below
12Welder$19.74$26.96$36.50$56,0703,37011% above4% above
13Brickmason$21.08$25.24$29.66$52,5007605% above16% below
14Carpenter$18.39$24.50$31.56$50,9603,7304% above16% below
15Heavy equipment operator$20.18$24.46$33.85$50,8704,4403% above15% below
16Sheet metal worker$18.21$24.46$37.73$50,890700about the same as18% below
17Roofer$19.18$23.28$29.67$48,4101,1301% below13% below
18Ironworker$18.90$23.22$30.54$48,2905501% below23% below
19Glazier$18.49$23.20$34.36$48,2502605% above15% below
20Cement mason$18.51$23.17$30.42$48,2001,3903% above15% below
21Solar installer$18.00$22.10$37.47$45,9701505% above14% below
22Drywall installer$16.59$22.07$28.79$45,9004402% above22% below
23Construction laborer$14.29$22.04$29.81$45,85010,8403% above3% below
24Painter$16.70$21.59$27.86$44,9001,3702% above9% below
25Insulation worker$14.98$21.40$29.89$44,5207604% above9% below

Union scale in the Charlotte area

The highest Davis-Bacon Building-construction package among the counties in the Charlotte metro, next to the metro market median from BLS.

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$28.41$32.31$13.66$45.97Union8 of 11
Plumber$28.22$31.66$12.69$44.35Union8 of 11
Carpenter$24.50$23.73$5.42$29.15Survey8 of 11
Construction laborer$22.04$13.97$7.82$21.79Survey8 of 11
Heavy equipment operator$24.46$16.00$2.48$18.48Survey8 of 11
Ironworker$23.22$29.75$18.00$47.75Union8 of 11
Sheet metal worker$24.46$19.67$13.27$32.94Survey8 of 11
Painter$21.59$14.13$2.88$17.01Survey8 of 11

Not the official determination. County-level lookup on the North Carolina prevailing wage page.

Construction jobs in Charlotte

90.9kConstruction jobs2026-08
+7.8%Change over 12 months
+26.1%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k1990199520002005201020152020202591kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Charlotte?

In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $51.54 an hour in May 2025, with 5,450 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Charlotte than the rest of North Carolina?

In Charlotte, 21 of 25 trades pay above the North Carolina state median and 3 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $51.54.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.