Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 25 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Every trade in Cincinnati, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrConstruction manager: $50.34 (cost-of-living adjusted $52.77)Construction manager$50.34Lineman: $44.79 (cost-of-living adjusted $46.95)Lineman$44.79Construction supervisor: $38.71 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.58)Construction supervisor$38.71Ironworker: $36.39 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.14)Ironworker$36.39Millwright: $36.37 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.12)Millwright$36.37Sheet metal worker: $35.43 (cost-of-living adjusted $37.14)Sheet metal worker$35.43Brickmason: $34.02 (cost-of-living adjusted $35.66)Brickmason$34.02Heavy equipment operator: $32.19 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.74)Heavy equipment operator$32.19Plumber: $31.33 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.84)Plumber$31.33Electrician: $30.53 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.00)Electrician$30.53Cement mason: $30.28 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.74)Cement mason$30.28Diesel mechanic: $30.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.45)Diesel mechanic$30.00HVAC technician: $29.92 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.36)HVAC technician$29.92Carpenter: $28.90 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.29)Carpenter$28.90Plasterer: $28.85 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.24)Plasterer$28.85Glazier: $28.66 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.04)Glazier$28.66Insulation worker: $28.06 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.41)Insulation worker$28.06Machinist: $27.55 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.88)Machinist$27.55Drywall installer: $26.67 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.96)Drywall installer$26.67Crane operator: $26.44 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.71)Crane operator$26.44Construction laborer: $26.41 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.68)Construction laborer$26.41Welder: $24.99 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.19)Welder$24.99Painter: $24.12 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.28)Painter$24.12Roofer: $23.66 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.80)Roofer$23.66Tile setter: $22.42 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.50)Tile setter$22.42
Median hourly wage by trade, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 95.4).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$33.14$50.34$79.00$104,7103,0503% above9% below
2Lineman$29.26$44.79$57.24$93,150730about the same as2% below
3Construction supervisor$27.80$38.71$50.69$80,5204,7301% above1% above
4Ironworker$23.27$36.39$42.48$75,7004801% above21% above
5Millwright$23.96$36.37$44.43$75,6502503% above15% above
6Sheet metal worker$19.89$35.43$46.42$73,6909101% below19% above
7Brickmason$22.05$34.02$40.53$70,760440about the same as14% above
8Heavy equipment operator$22.70$32.19$47.84$66,9503,1203% above12% above
9Plumber$22.52$31.33$48.94$65,1603,6403% above2% above
10Electrician$18.52$30.53$47.24$63,4905,6402% belowabout the same as
11Cement mason$21.60$30.28$38.39$62,9901,410about the same as10% above
12Diesel mechanic$22.01$30.00$38.37$62,4002,3003% above1% above
13HVAC technician$19.11$29.92$46.35$62,2402,950about the same as2% above
14Carpenter$21.24$28.90$38.34$60,1104,6101% below1% below
15Plasterer$23.20$28.85$31.36$60,000504% below4% above
16Glazier$19.74$28.66$35.78$59,6202501% below4% above
17Insulation worker$20.00$28.06$46.46$58,36090about the same as19% above
18Machinist$18.81$27.55$37.30$57,3002,8901% below2% below
19Drywall installer$18.85$26.67$35.24$55,47029010% below6% below
20Crane operator$19.71$26.44$49.68$55,0002105% below19% below
21Construction laborer$18.18$26.41$37.59$54,9305,7002% below17% above
22Welder$18.97$24.99$35.56$51,9903,1603% above3% below
23Painter$18.30$24.12$34.30$50,1708901% above2% above
24Roofer$19.66$23.66$35.48$49,210770about the same as11% below
25Tile setter$10.70$22.42$35.48$46,6301101% above16% below

Union scale in the Cincinnati area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$30.53$38.00$24.16$62.16Union5 of 15
Plumber$31.33$43.30$27.40$70.70Union5 of 15
Carpenter$28.90$32.26$19.10$51.36Union5 of 15
Construction laborer$26.41$32.49$14.45$46.94Union5 of 15
Heavy equipment operator$32.19$44.14$16.41$60.55Union5 of 15
Ironworker$36.39$37.77$23.90$61.67Union5 of 15
Sheet metal worker$35.43$34.32$23.77$58.09Union5 of 15
Painter$24.12$28.29$13.75$42.04Union5 of 15

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

Construction jobs in Cincinnati

58.4kConstruction jobs2026-08
+4.3%Change over 12 months
+13.6%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202620k30k40k50k60k70k1990199520002005201020152020202558kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Cincinnati?

In the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $50.34 an hour in May 2025, with 3,050 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Cincinnati than the rest of Ohio?

In Cincinnati, 10 of 25 trades pay above the Ohio state median and 9 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $50.34.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.