Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Dallas-Fort Worth

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 28 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in Dallas-Fort Worth, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrElevator mechanic: $52.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $50.44)Elevator mechanic$52.00Construction manager: $49.79 (cost-of-living adjusted $48.29)Construction manager$49.79Lineman: $37.46 (cost-of-living adjusted $36.33)Lineman$37.46Construction supervisor: $36.65 (cost-of-living adjusted $35.55)Construction supervisor$36.65Crane operator: $33.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.01)Crane operator$33.00Millwright: $31.49 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.54)Millwright$31.49Plumber: $29.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.56)Plumber$29.45Diesel mechanic: $29.04 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.17)Diesel mechanic$29.04Machinist: $28.76 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.90)Machinist$28.76HVAC technician: $28.63 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.77)HVAC technician$28.63Brickmason: $28.56 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.70)Brickmason$28.56Electrician: $28.37 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.52)Electrician$28.37Wind turbine technician: $27.83 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.99)Wind turbine technician$27.83Plasterer: $27.40 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.58)Plasterer$27.40Sheet metal worker: $27.04 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.23)Sheet metal worker$27.04Ironworker: $25.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.00)Ironworker$25.77Welder: $24.82 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.07)Welder$24.82Heavy equipment operator: $24.70 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.96)Heavy equipment operator$24.70Insulation worker: $24.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.28)Insulation worker$24.00Glazier: $23.78 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.06)Glazier$23.78Cement mason: $23.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.74)Cement mason$23.45Carpenter: $23.44 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.74)Carpenter$23.44Solar installer: $23.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.55)Solar installer$23.25Drywall installer: $23.18 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.48)Drywall installer$23.18Tile setter: $23.04 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.35)Tile setter$23.04Roofer: $22.59 (cost-of-living adjusted $21.91)Roofer$22.59Painter: $21.90 (cost-of-living adjusted $21.24)Painter$21.90Construction laborer: $21.14 (cost-of-living adjusted $20.50)Construction laborer$21.14
Median hourly wage by trade, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 103.1).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Elevator mechanic$28.50$52.00$58.58$108,1505006% above2% below
2Construction manager$32.01$49.79$80.18$103,55017,1102% above10% below
3Lineman$22.48$37.46$50.81$77,9103,9301% below18% below
4Construction supervisor$24.17$36.65$50.23$76,23021,5302% above5% below
5Crane operator$22.26$33.00$44.20$68,6401,3106% below1% above
6Millwright$21.42$31.49$44.47$65,5006405% aboveabout the same as
7Plumber$18.92$29.45$39.53$61,25011,9802% above4% below
8Diesel mechanic$21.99$29.04$39.26$60,3907,9403% above2% below
9Machinist$19.28$28.76$39.39$59,8304,6601% above2% above
10HVAC technician$19.37$28.63$40.81$59,56010,9103% above2% below
11Brickmason$22.63$28.56$29.30$59,4001,5905% above4% below
12Electrician$18.63$28.37$39.26$59,01020,9301% above7% below
13Wind turbine technician$22.13$27.83$37.53$57,8904007% below10% below
14Plasterer$21.98$27.40$30.00$56,99046011% above1% below
15Sheet metal worker$18.11$27.04$37.72$56,2402,8904% above9% below
16Ironworker$21.93$25.77$37.27$53,6002,8503% above15% below
17Welder$18.85$24.82$36.98$51,63010,6203% below4% below
18Heavy equipment operator$20.05$24.70$34.17$51,37011,5102% above14% below
19Insulation worker$17.74$24.00$30.83$49,9302,1002% above2% above
20Glazier$17.99$23.78$29.07$49,4501,9804% above13% below
21Cement mason$18.28$23.45$29.10$48,7707,9203% above14% below
22Carpenter$17.52$23.44$30.71$48,7409,480about the same as20% below
23Solar installer$18.49$23.25$30.23$48,3501,570about the same as9% below
24Drywall installer$17.23$23.18$29.34$48,2201,8701% above18% below
25Tile setter$17.71$23.04$46.63$47,9204302% above14% below
26Roofer$17.35$22.59$30.77$46,9902,1802% above15% below
27Painter$17.45$21.90$29.03$45,5504,570about the same as8% below
28Construction laborer$17.06$21.14$27.38$43,96029,6708% above7% below

Union scale in the Dallas-Fort Worth area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$28.37$21.51$3.69$25.20Survey11 of 11
Plumber$29.45$22.70$5.65$28.35Survey11 of 11
Carpenter$23.44$17.13$2.97$20.10Survey11 of 11
Construction laborer$21.14$11.91$2.64$14.55Survey11 of 11
Heavy equipment operator$24.70$13.09$0.00$13.09Survey11 of 11
Ironworker$25.77$29.64$8.43$38.07Union11 of 11
Sheet metal worker$27.04$24.88$7.23$32.11Survey11 of 11
Painter$21.90$16.40$5.45$21.85Union11 of 11

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

Construction jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth

276.2kConstruction jobs2026-08
+3.0%Change over 12 months
+25.9%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-20260k100k200k300k19901995200020052010201520202025276kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Dallas-Fort Worth?

In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, elevator and escalator installers and repairers had the highest median wage at $52.00 an hour in May 2025, with 500 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Dallas-Fort Worth than the rest of Texas?

In Dallas-Fort Worth, 21 of 28 trades pay above the Texas state median and 4 pay below it; the biggest premium is for elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $52.00.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.