Skilled Wages

Trade pay in Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 24 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in Salt Lake City, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60$80/hrLineman: $58.30 (cost-of-living adjusted $57.78)Lineman$58.30Construction manager: $52.75 (cost-of-living adjusted $52.28)Construction manager$52.75Elevator mechanic: $39.78 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.43)Elevator mechanic$39.78Crane operator: $38.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.11)Crane operator$38.45Construction supervisor: $37.85 (cost-of-living adjusted $37.51)Construction supervisor$37.85Millwright: $31.42 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.14)Millwright$31.42Diesel mechanic: $31.35 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.07)Diesel mechanic$31.35Plumber: $31.15 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.87)Plumber$31.15Sheet metal worker: $30.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.98)Sheet metal worker$30.25Electrician: $30.11 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.84)Electrician$30.11Heavy equipment operator: $29.69 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.43)Heavy equipment operator$29.69Machinist: $29.64 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.38)Machinist$29.64HVAC technician: $29.23 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.97)HVAC technician$29.23Cement mason: $29.20 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.94)Cement mason$29.20Ironworker: $29.13 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.87)Ironworker$29.13Brickmason: $29.06 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.80)Brickmason$29.06Welder: $28.94 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.68)Welder$28.94Carpenter: $28.78 (cost-of-living adjusted $28.52)Carpenter$28.78Drywall installer: $26.66 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.42)Drywall installer$26.66Glazier: $24.75 (cost-of-living adjusted $24.53)Glazier$24.75Tile setter: $24.04 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.83)Tile setter$24.04Painter: $23.20 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.99)Painter$23.20Roofer: $23.18 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.97)Roofer$23.18Construction laborer: $22.82 (cost-of-living adjusted $22.62)Construction laborer$22.82
Median hourly wage by trade, Salt Lake City-Murray, UT, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 100.9).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Lineman$24.17$58.30$59.99$121,26044020% above27% above
2Construction manager$38.13$52.75$79.86$109,710—4% above5% below
3Elevator mechanic$30.49$39.78$58.55$82,7501902% above25% below
4Crane operator$29.53$38.45$59.14$79,97025019% above17% above
5Construction supervisor$28.12$37.85$52.33$78,7306,1602% above1% below
6Millwright$23.81$31.42$40.48$65,350904% above1% below
7Diesel mechanic$23.33$31.35$40.74$65,2001,5001% above6% above
8Plumber$23.02$31.15$42.46$64,8003,1905% above2% above
9Sheet metal worker$18.72$30.25$44.69$62,920660about the same as2% above
10Electrician$20.81$30.11$42.61$62,6205,7101% above1% below
11Heavy equipment operator$23.54$29.69$37.70$61,7502,5702% above3% above
12Machinist$21.48$29.64$38.84$61,6401,2101% above5% above
13HVAC technician$18.45$29.23$40.00$60,7902,5404% aboveabout the same as
14Cement mason$22.82$29.20$35.44$60,7401,8508% above7% above
15Ironworker$21.43$29.13$36.74$60,5807804% above3% below
16Brickmason$18.86$29.06$36.05$60,450510about the same as3% below
17Welder$22.14$28.94$38.06$60,1901,4903% above12% above
18Carpenter$17.56$28.78$36.32$59,8706,42014% above1% below
19Drywall installer$18.62$26.66$35.00$55,4609909% above6% below
20Glazier$22.25$24.75$31.81$51,470640about the same as10% below
21Tile setter$17.72$24.04$34.00$49,9909701% above10% below
22Painter$18.46$23.20$31.62$48,2501,4305% above2% below
23Roofer$16.87$23.18$34.65$48,2201,3301% below13% below
24Construction laborer$16.77$22.82$31.43$47,4607,7902% above1% above

Union scale in the Salt Lake City area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$30.11$41.23$17.66$58.89Union2 of 2
Plumber$31.15$46.10$15.83$61.93Union2 of 2
Carpenter$28.78$20.73$7.53$28.26Survey2 of 2
Construction laborer$22.82$13.84$0.00$13.84Survey2 of 2
Heavy equipment operator$29.69$14.48$0.00$14.48Survey2 of 2
Ironworker$29.13$20.21$3.22$23.43Survey2 of 2
Sheet metal worker$30.25$46.79$14.89$61.68Union2 of 2
Painter$23.20$26.00$8.78$34.78Union2 of 2

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

Construction jobs in Salt Lake City

64.0kConstruction jobs2026-08
+4.6%Change over 12 months
+17.0%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-20260k20k40k60k80k1990199520002005201020152020202564kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, Salt Lake City-Murray, UT, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in Salt Lake City?

In the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area, electrical power-line installers and repairers had the highest median wage at $58.30 an hour in May 2025, with 440 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in Salt Lake City than the rest of Utah?

In Salt Lake City, 20 of 24 trades pay above the Utah state median and 1 pay below it; the biggest premium is for electrical power-line installers and repairers at $58.30.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Salt Lake City-Murray, UT MSA.
  • BLS CES metro employment.
  • BEA metro Regional Price Parities.
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations.