Skilled Wages

Trade pay in St. Louis

St. Louis, MO-IL: 26 trades ranked by median wage, with the union scale and the jobs trend.

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025

Every trade in St. Louis, ranked

Ranked median wagesMedian wageCost-of-living adjusted$0$20$40$60$80/hrConstruction manager: $56.09 (cost-of-living adjusted $58.98)Construction manager$56.09Lineman: $49.98 (cost-of-living adjusted $52.56)Lineman$49.98Construction supervisor: $46.45 (cost-of-living adjusted $48.84)Construction supervisor$46.45Boilermaker: $45.50 (cost-of-living adjusted $47.84)Boilermaker$45.50Heavy equipment operator: $39.56 (cost-of-living adjusted $41.60)Heavy equipment operator$39.56Ironworker: $39.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $41.27)Ironworker$39.25Plasterer: $38.58 (cost-of-living adjusted $40.57)Plasterer$38.58Brickmason: $37.26 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.18)Brickmason$37.26Electrician: $37.10 (cost-of-living adjusted $39.01)Electrician$37.10Plumber: $37.02 (cost-of-living adjusted $38.93)Plumber$37.02Carpenter: $34.13 (cost-of-living adjusted $35.89)Carpenter$34.13Millwright: $31.96 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.61)Millwright$31.96Sheet metal worker: $31.77 (cost-of-living adjusted $33.41)Sheet metal worker$31.77Cement mason: $31.09 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.69)Cement mason$31.09Construction laborer: $31.01 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.61)Construction laborer$31.01Tile setter: $30.60 (cost-of-living adjusted $32.18)Tile setter$30.60HVAC technician: $30.29 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.85)HVAC technician$30.29Diesel mechanic: $29.94 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.48)Diesel mechanic$29.94Machinist: $29.91 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.45)Machinist$29.91Glazier: $29.51 (cost-of-living adjusted $31.03)Glazier$29.51Drywall installer: $28.97 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.46)Drywall installer$28.97Painter: $28.75 (cost-of-living adjusted $30.23)Painter$28.75Insulation worker: $28.39 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.85)Insulation worker$28.39Roofer: $28.25 (cost-of-living adjusted $29.71)Roofer$28.25Welder: $24.83 (cost-of-living adjusted $26.11)Welder$24.83Crane operator: $22.20 (cost-of-living adjusted $23.34)Crane operator$22.20
Median hourly wage by trade, St. Louis, MO-IL, May 2025. Thin marker: cost-of-living adjusted (BEA metro price parity 95.1).
#Trade10thMedian $/hr90thMedian $/yrJobsvs statevs US
1Construction manager$34.83$56.09$81.60$116,6802,8804% above1% above
2Lineman$30.74$49.98$57.90$103,9609108% above9% above
3Construction supervisor$29.67$46.45$58.03$96,6206,68010% above21% above
4Boilermaker$38.04$45.50$61.65$94,6404020% above24% above
5Heavy equipment operator$22.70$39.56$48.47$82,2704,19036% above37% above
6Ironworker$24.22$39.25$47.10$81,6406705% above30% above
7Plasterer$27.78$38.58$57.33$80,2402701% above39% above
8Brickmason$23.25$37.26$42.48$77,4901,0707% above25% above
9Electrician$22.54$37.10$50.39$77,1705,92018% above22% above
10Plumber$22.61$37.02$58.29$77,0004,06015% above21% above
11Carpenter$21.64$34.13$47.86$70,9907,21017% above17% above
12Millwright$22.54$31.96$45.51$66,480420about the same as1% above
13Sheet metal worker$19.61$31.77$51.72$66,0801,0504% above7% above
14Cement mason$22.71$31.09$47.32$64,6702,5505% above13% above
15Construction laborer$19.28$31.01$46.29$64,5008,67014% above37% above
16Tile setter$20.29$30.60$38.76$63,6402805% above14% above
17HVAC technician$22.05$30.29$48.17$63,0002,9805% above3% above
18Diesel mechanic$22.26$29.94$41.09$62,2802,6105% above1% above
19Machinist$22.71$29.91$43.24$62,2105,6206% above6% above
20Glazier$19.06$29.51$44.79$61,37023019% above8% above
21Drywall installer$22.27$28.97$44.44$60,2502504% below2% above
22Painter$19.44$28.75$40.09$59,8102,3504% above21% above
23Insulation worker$21.79$28.39$43.72$59,0405205% above20% above
24Roofer$20.29$28.25$47.41$58,7501,11021% above6% above
25Welder$18.64$24.83$34.68$51,6402,8201% below4% below
26Crane operator$19.70$22.20$45.97$46,17032021% below32% below

Union scale in the St. Louis area

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

TradeMetro market medianDB baseFringeTotal packageRate sourceCounties with a rate
Electrician$37.10$49.29$33.64$82.93Union7 of 15
Plumber$37.02$54.60$30.23$84.83Union7 of 15
Carpenter$34.13$39.78$22.40$62.18Union7 of 15
Construction laborer$31.01$40.82$17.56$58.38Union7 of 15
Heavy equipment operator$39.56$43.46$30.22$73.68Union7 of 15
Ironworker$39.25$44.27$31.65$75.92Union7 of 15
Sheet metal worker$31.77$52.00$27.12$79.12Union7 of 15
Painter$28.75$39.40$17.66$57.06Union7 of 15

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

Construction jobs in St. Louis

92.5kConstruction jobs2026-08
+13.8%Change over 12 months
+29.0%Change over 5 years
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k1990199520002005201020152020202592kAug 2026
Mining, logging and construction employment, St. Louis, MO-IL, thousands, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted.

Questions this page answers

What is the highest-paying trade in St. Louis?

In the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, construction managers had the highest median wage at $56.09 an hour in May 2025, with 2,880 jobs counted.

Do trades pay more in St. Louis than the rest of Missouri?

In St. Louis, 22 of 26 trades pay above the Missouri state median and 3 pay below it; the biggest premium is for construction managers at $56.09.

Sources and notes

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