Trade pay in Portland

Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 27 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in Portland, ranked

Median hourly wage by trade, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 105.4).

#	Trade	10th	Median $/hr	90th	Median $/yr	Jobs	vs state	vs US
1	Construction manager	$42.55	$70.55	$104.60	$146,740	2,690	12% above	28% above
2	Elevator mechanic	$36.21	$66.64	$76.55	$138,600	240	about the same as	26% above
3	Lineman	$38.29	$65.05	$77.49	$135,300	810	3% above	42% above
4	Construction supervisor	$34.50	$54.08	$76.88	$112,480	5,880	9% above	41% above
5	Electrician	$29.02	$50.53	$64.61	$105,090	7,340	4% above	66% above
6	Plumber	$27.71	$48.56	$70.72	$101,010	4,600	4% above	58% above
7	Ironworker	$29.96	$47.17	$59.48	$98,120	410	2% above	56% above
8	Brickmason	$26.80	$39.28	$49.40	$81,700	400	3% above	32% above
9	Drywall installer	$18.75	$38.99	$57.33	$81,100	1,100	10% above	38% above
10	Crane operator	$27.39	$38.59	$63.83	$80,260	210	4% below	18% above
11	Sheet metal worker	$24.03	$38.26	$61.27	$79,570	2,280	8% above	29% above
12	Heavy equipment operator	$28.62	$38.00	$59.27	$79,040	3,040	8% above	32% above
13	Millwright	$28.27	$36.64	$53.21	$76,200	240	8% above	16% above
14	Cement mason	$23.82	$36.10	$47.80	$75,090	1,410	10% above	32% above
15	Glazier	$22.80	$35.51	$52.19	$73,860	390	4% above	29% above
16	Carpenter	$22.81	$35.44	$52.13	$73,710	9,210	17% above	22% above
17	Diesel mechanic	$24.60	$34.61	$43.61	$71,990	2,330	13% above	17% above
18	Plasterer	$23.72	$33.89	$47.73	$70,500	120	1% below	22% above
19	Solar installer	$27.15	$31.88	$42.00	$66,320	210	about the same as	25% above
20	HVAC technician	$23.39	$31.38	$47.50	$65,260	2,580	4% above	7% above
21	Machinist	$23.51	$30.85	$40.14	$64,170	2,090	1% above	9% above
22	Welder	$23.10	$29.83	$40.36	$62,050	3,300	4% above	15% above
23	Tile setter	$21.09	$29.76	$40.54	$61,900	390	5% above	11% above
24	Roofer	$23.33	$29.43	$46.51	$61,210	2,280	4% above	10% above
25	Insulation worker	$17.96	$29.31	$47.44	$60,960	450	1% above	24% above
26	Construction laborer	$18.75	$26.08	$39.76	$54,240	7,950	7% above	15% above
27	Painter	$18.75	$25.62	$35.51	$53,280	3,540	9% above	8% above

Union scale in the Portland area

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

Trade	Metro market median	DB base	Fringe	Total package	Rate source	Counties with a rate
Electrician	$50.53	$63.50	$29.73	$93.23	Union	5 of 7
Plumber	$48.56	$60.77	$34.72	$95.49	Union	5 of 7
Carpenter	$35.44	$52.62	$16.81	$69.43	Union	5 of 7
Construction laborer	$26.08	$39.11	$17.30	$56.41	Union	5 of 7
Heavy equipment operator	$38.00	$54.75	$16.90	$71.65	Union	5 of 7
Ironworker	$47.17	$48.31	$34.52	$82.83	Union	5 of 7
Sheet metal worker	$38.26	$54.99	$33.92	$88.91	Union	5 of 7
Painter	$25.62	$40.85	$16.68	$57.53	Union	5 of 7

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

Construction jobs in Portland

77.5kConstruction jobs2026-08

-3.2%Change over 12 months

-1.5%Change over 5 years

Construction employment, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Portland?

In the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $70.55 an hour in May 2025, with 2,690 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Portland than the rest of Oregon?

In Portland, 23 of 27 trades pay above the Oregon state median and 2 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $70.55.

Sources and notes

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA MSA.
BLS CES metro employment.
BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.