Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Louisville

Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN: 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 Louisville, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60/hrConstruction manager: $48.93 (cost-of-living adjusted $52.56)Construction manager$48.93Crane operator: $38.87 (cost-of-living adjusted $41.75)Crane operator$38.87Construction supervisor: $38.07 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.89)Construction supervisor$38.07Lineman: $37.03 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.77)Lineman$37.03Millwright: $36.68 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.40)Millwright$36.68Plumber: $35.91 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.57)Plumber$35.91Ironworker: $33.31 (cost-of-living adjusted $35.78)Ironworker$33.31Electrician: $30.02 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.24)Electrician$30.02Heavy equipment operator: $29.76 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.97)Heavy equipment operator$29.76Diesel mechanic: $29.48 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.66)Diesel mechanic$29.48Brickmason: $29.38 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.56)Brickmason$29.38Sheet metal worker: $29.33 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.50)Sheet metal worker$29.33Machinist: $29.09 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.25)Machinist$29.09HVAC technician: $28.33 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.43)HVAC technician$28.33Carpenter: $27.17 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.18)Carpenter$27.17Insulation worker: $26.98 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.98)Insulation worker$26.98Glazier: $26.52 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.49)Glazier$26.52Cement mason: $25.34 (cost-of-living adjusted $27.22)Cement mason$25.34Welder: $24.46 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.27)Welder$24.46Roofer: $23.64 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.39)Roofer$23.64Painter: $23.52 (cost-of-living adjusted $25.26)Painter$23.52Tile setter: $22.85 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.54)Tile setter$22.85Construction laborer: $22.80 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.49)Construction laborer$22.80Drywall installer: $22.11 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.75)Drywall installer$22.11Elevator mechanic: $20.52 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.04)Elevator mechanic$20.52
Median hourly wage by trade, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 93.1).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$27.42$48.93$95.89$101,7809705% above11% below
2Crane operator$18.66$38.87$44.52$80,85017030% above19% above
3Construction supervisor$26.31$38.07$48.55$79,1903,2408% above1% below
4Lineman$22.84$37.03$51.02$77,020650about the same as19% below
5Millwright$23.41$36.68$42.62$76,3004908% above16% above
6Plumber$23.20$35.91$45.64$74,6802,78016% above17% above
7Ironworker$24.71$33.31$42.33$69,2803108% above10% above
8Electrician$18.13$30.02$40.99$62,4404,3405% above1% below
9Heavy equipment operator$23.15$29.76$43.42$61,8901,9207% above3% above
10Diesel mechanic$21.00$29.48$39.60$61,3101,48011% above1% below
11Brickmason$18.56$29.38$37.48$61,1002802% above2% below
12Sheet metal worker$22.13$29.33$44.47$61,0109701% above1% below
13Machinist$19.60$29.09$38.25$60,5009903% above3% above
14HVAC technician$22.05$28.33$37.86$58,9301,8901% above3% below
15Carpenter$18.74$27.17$36.23$56,5202,9907% above7% below
16Insulation worker$20.03$26.98$38.04$56,11019013% above14% above
17Glazier$21.86$26.52$29.25$55,17026012% above3% below
18Cement mason$18.51$25.34$34.96$52,7006105% above8% below
19Welder$19.75$24.46$33.83$50,8701,7901% below5% below
20Roofer$19.18$23.64$34.61$49,1605505% above11% below
21Painter$18.26$23.52$31.19$48,9205902% above1% below
22Tile setter$17.26$22.85$27.62$47,52050about the same as15% below
23Construction laborer$17.58$22.80$31.24$47,4204,6004% above1% above
24Drywall installer$11.07$22.11$29.24$45,9902305% below22% below
25Elevator mechanic$18.95$20.52$37.80$42,670—about the same as61% below

Union scale in the Louisville area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$30.02$40.96$22.44$63.40Union8 of 12
Plumber$35.91$41.90$24.89$66.79Union8 of 12
Carpenter$27.17$30.80$22.34$53.14Union8 of 12
Construction laborer$22.80$26.69$13.32$40.01Union8 of 12
Heavy equipment operator$29.76$24.35$13.00$37.35Survey8 of 12
Ironworker$33.31$36.17$25.80$61.97Union8 of 12
Sheet metal worker$29.33$40.32$25.66$65.98Union8 of 12
Painter$23.52$22.81$11.87$34.68Survey8 of 12

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

Construction jobs in Louisville

36.0kConstruction jobs2026-08
-0.8%Change over 12 months
+14.3%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202610k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202536kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Louisville?

In the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $48.93 an hour in May 2025, with 970 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Louisville than the rest of Kentucky?

In Louisville, 20 of 25 trades pay above the Kentucky state median and 2 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $48.93.

Sources and notes

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