Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Jacksonville

Jacksonville, FL: 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 Jacksonville, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrConstruction manager: $51.54 (cost-of-living adjusted $51.80)Construction manager$51.54Lineman: $38.88 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.08)Lineman$38.88Construction supervisor: $37.39 (cost-of-living adjusted $37.58)Construction supervisor$37.39Millwright: $31.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.61)Millwright$31.45Crane operator: $31.06 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.22)Crane operator$31.06Diesel mechanic: $29.55 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.70)Diesel mechanic$29.55Machinist: $28.70 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.84)Machinist$28.70Plumber: $28.33 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.47)Plumber$28.33HVAC technician: $28.17 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.31)HVAC technician$28.17Brickmason: $28.12 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.26)Brickmason$28.12Electrician: $28.02 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.16)Electrician$28.02Welder: $24.35 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.47)Welder$24.35Carpenter: $24.30 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.42)Carpenter$24.30Drywall installer: $23.92 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.04)Drywall installer$23.92Sheet metal worker: $23.73 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.85)Sheet metal worker$23.73Cement mason: $23.68 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.80)Cement mason$23.68Heavy equipment operator: $23.52 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.64)Heavy equipment operator$23.52Ironworker: $23.50 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.62)Ironworker$23.50Plasterer: $23.43 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.55)Plasterer$23.43Glazier: $23.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.37)Glazier$23.25Painter: $23.09 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.21)Painter$23.09Roofer: $22.85 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.96)Roofer$22.85Insulation worker: $22.47 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.58)Insulation worker$22.47Tile setter: $21.84 (cost-of-living adjusted $21.95)Tile setter$21.84Construction laborer: $20.90 (cost-of-living adjusted $21.01)Construction laborer$20.90
Median hourly wage by trade, Jacksonville, FL, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 99.5).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$29.81$51.54$96.11$107,2002,7205% below7% below
2Lineman$24.20$38.88$56.20$80,8604707% below15% below
3Construction supervisor$24.75$37.39$50.38$77,7605,8303% above3% below
4Millwright$23.25$31.45$42.70$65,4201606% aboveabout the same as
5Crane operator$20.40$31.06$45.51$64,60034010% below5% below
6Diesel mechanic$22.66$29.55$36.93$61,4701,6402% above1% below
7Machinist$20.24$28.70$36.40$59,7006404% above2% above
8Plumber$19.24$28.33$36.21$58,9202,38011% above8% below
9HVAC technician$18.23$28.17$38.42$58,5903,3403% above4% below
10Brickmason$18.35$28.12$46.16$58,49013011% above6% below
11Electrician$18.31$28.02$37.12$58,2804,9902% above8% below
12Welder$18.75$24.35$35.02$50,6401,420about the same as6% below
13Carpenter$17.80$24.30$34.81$50,5402,5001% above17% below
14Drywall installer$17.79$23.92$28.28$49,7505602% above16% below
15Sheet metal worker$17.06$23.73$33.65$49,3509401% below20% below
16Cement mason$18.39$23.68$29.82$49,2609801% above14% below
17Heavy equipment operator$18.89$23.52$31.09$48,9201,9901% below18% below
18Ironworker$19.18$23.50$32.22$48,870—12% below22% below
19Plasterer$16.71$23.43$35.91$48,740—3% above15% below
20Glazier$17.55$23.25$33.26$48,3702603% above15% below
21Painter$17.93$23.09$28.25$48,0301,4201% above3% below
22Roofer$16.54$22.85$30.74$47,5201,400about the same as14% below
23Insulation worker$17.50$22.47$30.43$46,7402101% below5% below
24Tile setter$13.00$21.84$34.75$45,4402504% below18% below
25Construction laborer$14.59$20.90$27.74$43,4807,1501% below8% below

Union scale in the Jacksonville area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$28.02$35.60$14.97$50.57Union5 of 5
Plumber$28.33$37.50$17.59$55.09Union5 of 5
Carpenter$24.30$23.63$13.30$36.93Union5 of 5
Construction laborer$20.90$13.62$0.00$13.62Survey5 of 5
Heavy equipment operator$23.52$14.44$1.40$15.84Survey5 of 5
Ironworker$23.50$17.66$4.49$22.15Survey5 of 5
Sheet metal worker$23.73$31.64$15.98$47.62Union5 of 5
Painter$23.09$15.62$2.05$17.67Survey5 of 5

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

Construction jobs in Jacksonville

54.1kConstruction jobs2026-08
+0.7%Change over 12 months
+12.7%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202610k20k30k40k50k60k1990199520002005201020152020202554kAug 2026
Construction employment, Jacksonville, FL, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Jacksonville?

In the Jacksonville, FL metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $51.54 an hour in May 2025, with 2,720 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Jacksonville than the rest of Florida?

In Jacksonville, 14 of 25 trades pay above the Florida state median and 9 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $51.54.

Sources and notes

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