Skilled Wages

Trade pay in New York City

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 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 New York City, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60$80/hrConstruction manager: $75.96 (cost-of-living adjusted $67.46)Construction manager$75.96Elevator mechanic: $65.39 (cost-of-living adjusted $58.07)Elevator mechanic$65.39Lineman: $58.89 (cost-of-living adjusted $52.30)Lineman$58.89Plasterer: $57.78 (cost-of-living adjusted $51.31)Plasterer$57.78Construction supervisor: $50.00 (cost-of-living adjusted $44.40)Construction supervisor$50.00Ironworker: $49.07 (cost-of-living adjusted $43.58)Ironworker$49.07Crane operator: $48.38 (cost-of-living adjusted $42.97)Crane operator$48.38Heavy equipment operator: $45.70 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.59)Heavy equipment operator$45.70Millwright: $44.75 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.74)Millwright$44.75Brickmason: $44.37 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.40)Brickmason$44.37Boilermaker: $39.62 (cost-of-living adjusted $35.19)Boilermaker$39.62Electrician: $37.99 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.74)Electrician$37.99Plumber: $37.79 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.56)Plumber$37.79HVAC technician: $37.50 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.30)HVAC technician$37.50Sheet metal worker: $36.89 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.76)Sheet metal worker$36.89Roofer: $36.73 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.62)Roofer$36.73Diesel mechanic: $36.43 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.35)Diesel mechanic$36.43Carpenter: $35.72 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.72)Carpenter$35.72Drywall installer: $34.29 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.45)Drywall installer$34.29Solar installer: $33.72 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.95)Solar installer$33.72Glazier: $33.40 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.66)Glazier$33.40Cement mason: $31.57 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.04)Cement mason$31.57Machinist: $30.17 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.79)Machinist$30.17Insulation worker: $29.68 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.36)Insulation worker$29.68Welder: $29.66 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.34)Welder$29.66Painter: $29.53 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.23)Painter$29.53Tile setter: $29.52 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.22)Tile setter$29.52Construction laborer: $29.46 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.16)Construction laborer$29.46
Median hourly wage by trade, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 112.6).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$44.10$75.96$120.44$158,00012,1202% above37% above
2Elevator mechanic$39.88$65.39$82.63$136,0003,270about the same as24% above
3Lineman$28.14$58.89$71.51$122,4803,8501% above28% above
4Plasterer$29.75$57.78$57.79$120,180840about the same as108% above
5Construction supervisor$31.82$50.00$74.30$103,99028,2209% above30% above
6Ironworker$30.54$49.07$62.81$102,0602,30010% above63% above
7Crane operator$32.32$48.38$71.55$100,6401,50017% above48% above
8Heavy equipment operator$27.25$45.70$74.06$95,05011,43017% above59% above
9Millwright$29.06$44.75$63.52$93,07044017% above42% above
10Brickmason$29.89$44.37$61.53$92,3003,0109% above49% above
11Boilermaker$29.02$39.62$65.64$82,4203303% below8% above
12Electrician$22.20$37.99$63.54$79,02036,550about the same as25% above
13Plumber$23.02$37.79$69.94$78,61021,0401% above23% above
14HVAC technician$24.37$37.50$52.30$77,99021,8205% above28% above
15Sheet metal worker$20.00$36.89$62.34$76,7306,0804% above24% above
16Roofer$23.19$36.73$50.25$76,4003,10016% above38% above
17Diesel mechanic$24.64$36.43$45.35$75,78012,4308% above23% above
18Carpenter$22.53$35.72$59.52$74,30034,2103% above23% above
19Drywall installer$24.20$34.29$56.95$71,3202,56016% above21% above
20Solar installer$22.89$33.72$49.06$70,1302,19025% above32% above
21Glazier$21.09$33.40$53.28$69,4803,03012% above22% above
22Cement mason$24.10$31.57$50.92$65,6708,3903% above15% above
23Machinist$21.60$30.17$44.45$62,7504,3003% above7% above
24Insulation worker$19.48$29.68$56.65$61,7301,5004% above26% above
25Welder$21.58$29.66$46.12$61,6805,7804% above15% above
26Painter$21.83$29.53$53.63$61,42011,9303% above24% above
27Tile setter$19.10$29.52$48.74$61,4102,600about the same as10% above
28Construction laborer$16.50$29.46$50.14$61,27050,87010% above30% above

Union scale in the New York City area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$37.99$62.00$65.81$127.81Union10 of 22
Plumber$37.79$70.36$54.24$124.60Union10 of 22
Carpenter$35.72$59.05$48.08$107.13Union10 of 22
Construction laborer$29.46$50.20$54.05$104.25Union10 of 22
Heavy equipment operator$45.70$92.32$38.95$131.27Union10 of 22
Ironworker$49.07$58.95$92.02$150.97Union10 of 22
Sheet metal worker$36.89$53.60$60.74$114.34Union10 of 22
Painter$29.53$49.20$57.20$106.40Union10 of 22

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

Construction jobs in New York City

383.7kConstruction jobs2026-08
-1.6%Change over 12 months
+0.3%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-2026100k200k300k400k500k19901995200020052010201520202025384kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in New York City?

In the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $75.96 an hour in May 2025, with 12,120 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in New York City than the rest of New York?

In New York City, 23 of 28 trades pay above the New York state median and 1 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $75.96.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.