Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Houston

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 Houston, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrElevator mechanic: $50.17 (cost-of-living adjusted $50.88)Elevator mechanic$50.17Construction manager: $49.78 (cost-of-living adjusted $50.49)Construction manager$49.78Lineman: $39.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.33)Lineman$39.77Boilermaker: $37.06 (cost-of-living adjusted $37.59)Boilermaker$37.06Construction supervisor: $36.55 (cost-of-living adjusted $37.07)Construction supervisor$36.55Crane operator: $36.30 (cost-of-living adjusted $36.82)Crane operator$36.30Millwright: $32.57 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.03)Millwright$32.57Wind turbine technician: $30.79 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.23)Wind turbine technician$30.79Plumber: $29.47 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.89)Plumber$29.47Machinist: $29.46 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.88)Machinist$29.46Diesel mechanic: $29.22 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.63)Diesel mechanic$29.22Electrician: $28.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.85)Electrician$28.45HVAC technician: $28.34 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.74)HVAC technician$28.34Ironworker: $27.90 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.30)Ironworker$27.90Welder: $27.86 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.26)Welder$27.86Brickmason: $27.12 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.51)Brickmason$27.12Sheet metal worker: $24.94 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.29)Sheet metal worker$24.94Heavy equipment operator: $24.54 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.89)Heavy equipment operator$24.54Plasterer: $24.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.34)Plasterer$24.00Carpenter: $23.88 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.22)Carpenter$23.88Glazier: $23.24 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.57)Glazier$23.24Insulation worker: $23.14 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.47)Insulation worker$23.14Drywall installer: $22.89 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.22)Drywall installer$22.89Solar installer: $22.63 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.95)Solar installer$22.63Cement mason: $22.40 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.72)Cement mason$22.40Painter: $22.18 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.49)Painter$22.18Roofer: $21.87 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.18)Roofer$21.87Construction laborer: $19.88 (cost-of-living adjusted $20.16)Construction laborer$19.88
Median hourly wage by trade, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 98.6).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Elevator mechanic$27.65$50.17$59.21$104,3505402% above5% below
2Construction manager$32.93$49.78$82.01$103,53016,5002% above10% below
3Lineman$23.43$39.77$55.68$82,7104,3805% above13% below
4Boilermaker$28.31$37.06$48.23$77,0901,1702% above1% above
5Construction supervisor$23.16$36.55$57.26$76,02024,5702% above5% below
6Crane operator$18.59$36.30$47.62$75,5002,1003% above11% above
7Millwright$22.19$32.57$49.77$67,7508208% above3% above
8Wind turbine technician$23.67$30.79$36.35$64,0501,1203% aboveabout the same as
9Plumber$19.19$29.47$41.19$61,30010,9802% above4% below
10Machinist$19.21$29.46$39.17$61,2808,1404% above4% above
11Diesel mechanic$21.62$29.22$46.47$60,7707,4103% above2% below
12Electrician$18.66$28.45$40.61$59,18019,7301% above6% below
13HVAC technician$18.65$28.34$39.96$58,9407,6802% above3% below
14Ironworker$21.69$27.90$37.59$58,0303,00011% above8% below
15Welder$18.50$27.86$39.39$57,94015,8509% above8% above
16Brickmason$21.90$27.12$28.41$56,4101,090about the same as9% below
17Sheet metal worker$17.71$24.94$39.86$51,8702,6104% below16% below
18Heavy equipment operator$18.83$24.54$34.60$51,04014,0001% above15% below
19Plasterer$19.55$24.00$29.03$49,9103602% below13% below
20Carpenter$18.98$23.88$32.93$49,6709,6002% above18% below
21Glazier$17.68$23.24$29.68$48,3401,3701% above15% below
22Insulation worker$17.76$23.14$30.41$48,1402,4301% below2% below
23Drywall installer$14.64$22.89$29.09$47,6101,640about the same as19% below
24Solar installer$17.90$22.63$35.58$47,0601,6202% below11% below
25Cement mason$17.46$22.40$29.96$46,6007,7002% below18% below
26Painter$18.01$22.18$28.07$46,1404,9701% above7% below
27Roofer$16.38$21.87$28.41$45,5001,2301% below18% below
28Construction laborer$16.77$19.88$28.04$41,35034,0802% above12% below

Union scale in the Houston area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$28.45$35.63$14.27$49.90Union10 of 10
Plumber$29.47$39.98$11.61$51.59Union10 of 10
Carpenter$23.88$33.27$9.73$43.00Union10 of 10
Construction laborer$19.88$11.76$0.00$11.76Survey10 of 10
Heavy equipment operator$24.54$16.17$0.00$16.17Survey10 of 10
Ironworker$27.90$34.35$14.44$48.79Union10 of 10
Sheet metal worker$24.94$29.70$13.85$43.55Union10 of 10
Painter$22.18$17.88$9.50$27.38Union10 of 10

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

Construction jobs in Houston

269.0kConstruction jobs2026-08
+5.5%Change over 12 months
+28.5%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-2026100k150k200k250k300k19901995200020052010201520202025269kAug 2026
Construction employment, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Houston?

In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, elevator and escalator installers and repairers had the highest median wage at $50.17 an hour in May 2025, with 540 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Houston than the rest of Texas?

In Houston, 20 of 28 trades pay above the Texas state median and 6 pay below it; the biggest premium is for elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $50.17.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.