Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Cleveland

Cleveland, OH: 26 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in Cleveland, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrConstruction manager: $48.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $51.94)Construction manager$48.77Lineman: $43.81 (cost-of-living adjusted $46.66)Lineman$43.81Boilermaker: $43.74 (cost-of-living adjusted $46.58)Boilermaker$43.74Construction supervisor: $38.76 (cost-of-living adjusted $41.28)Construction supervisor$38.76Brickmason: $37.76 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.21)Brickmason$37.76Sheet metal worker: $37.22 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.64)Sheet metal worker$37.22Ironworker: $36.57 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.95)Ironworker$36.57Millwright: $35.96 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.30)Millwright$35.96Heavy equipment operator: $34.49 (cost-of-living adjusted $36.73)Heavy equipment operator$34.49Electrician: $34.07 (cost-of-living adjusted $36.28)Electrician$34.07Cement mason: $31.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.83)Cement mason$31.77Plasterer: $31.01 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.02)Plasterer$31.01Drywall installer: $30.36 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.33)Drywall installer$30.36Plumber: $30.30 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.27)Plumber$30.30HVAC technician: $30.19 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.15)HVAC technician$30.19Diesel mechanic: $30.14 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.10)Diesel mechanic$30.14Carpenter: $29.16 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.05)Carpenter$29.16Glazier: $28.67 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.53)Glazier$28.67Machinist: $28.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.82)Machinist$28.00Crane operator: $27.70 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.50)Crane operator$27.70Construction laborer: $27.49 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.28)Construction laborer$27.49Roofer: $26.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.51)Roofer$26.77Tile setter: $23.99 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.55)Tile setter$23.99Painter: $23.84 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.39)Painter$23.84Welder: $23.58 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.11)Welder$23.58Insulation worker: $22.76 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.24)Insulation worker$22.76
Median hourly wage by trade, Cleveland, OH, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 93.9).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$28.15$48.77$78.24$101,4402,6301% below12% below
2Lineman$29.84$43.81$53.54$91,1204402% below4% below
3Boilermaker$34.99$43.74$47.98$90,980306% above19% above
4Construction supervisor$27.99$38.76$51.13$80,6103,5501% above1% above
5Brickmason$22.38$37.76$40.21$78,53056011% above26% above
6Sheet metal worker$22.00$37.22$46.33$77,4106204% above25% above
7Ironworker$23.00$36.57$41.77$76,0603802% above21% above
8Millwright$25.47$35.96$44.12$74,8002902% above14% above
9Heavy equipment operator$23.08$34.49$47.96$71,7402,66010% above20% above
10Electrician$19.76$34.07$48.24$70,8604,42010% above12% above
11Cement mason$21.39$31.77$41.30$66,0809005% above16% above
12Plasterer$22.45$31.01$34.74$64,500404% above12% above
13Drywall installer$20.89$30.36$36.74$63,1502303% above7% above
14Plumber$22.27$30.30$48.67$63,0203,040about the same as1% below
15HVAC technician$18.86$30.19$47.26$62,7902,610about the same as3% above
16Diesel mechanic$22.72$30.14$39.08$62,6901,9704% above1% above
17Carpenter$20.97$29.16$41.77$60,6503,280about the same asabout the same as
18Glazier$21.43$28.67$35.96$59,6303101% below4% above
19Machinist$18.30$28.00$37.11$58,2403,9801% above1% below
20Crane operator$21.77$27.70$48.67$57,620400about the same as15% below
21Construction laborer$18.11$27.49$38.36$57,1805,6602% above21% above
22Roofer$19.33$26.77$40.60$55,69078013% aboveabout the same as
23Tile setter$18.40$23.99$35.18$49,9101508% above10% below
24Painter$18.01$23.84$36.40$49,5901,110about the same asabout the same as
25Welder$18.91$23.58$33.00$49,0403,5103% below9% below
26Insulation worker$18.78$22.76$29.63$47,34015019% below4% below

Union scale in the Cleveland area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$34.07$46.63$24.92$71.55Union6 of 6
Plumber$30.30$44.86$30.03$74.89Union6 of 6
Carpenter$29.16$37.52$23.50$61.02Union6 of 6
Construction laborer$27.49$31.89$22.66$54.55Union6 of 6
Heavy equipment operator$34.49$46.71$16.41$63.12Union6 of 6
Ironworker$36.57$36.83$29.01$65.84Union6 of 6
Sheet metal worker$37.22$43.06$30.11$73.17Union6 of 6
Painter$23.84$32.35$19.45$51.80Union6 of 6

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

Construction jobs in Cleveland

45.5kConstruction jobs2026-08
+1.8%Change over 12 months
+9.4%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202620k30k40k50k60k1990199520002005201020152020202546kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Cleveland, OH, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Cleveland?

In the Cleveland, OH metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $48.77 an hour in May 2025, with 2,630 jobs counted.

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

In Cleveland, 16 of 26 trades pay above the Ohio state median and 5 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $48.77.

Sources and notes

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