What does your trade actually pay?
— Skillit wage guide · Updated for 2026
Real pay ranges for 12 core construction trades across all 48 states, built from current Skillit hiring data. Pick a trade below to see state-by-state numbers, or jump straight to your state.
12
Core trades covered
Monthly
Data refresh cycle
48
States covered
— Browse by trade
Choose your trade
Each trade page breaks down pay by state, experience level, and license status.
The rate on each card is a single national base number — it blends every state and experience level into one figure. It doesn't reflect your state, years of experience, license status, or sector. Pick your trade, then your state, to run the free calculator and get your real number.
$31.55/hr national base
View all 48 states
Electricians
$34.37/hr national base
View all 48 states
Plumbers
$32.80/hr national base
View all 48 states
Welders
$27.90/hr national base
View all 48 states
General Laborers
$21.50 /hr national base
View all 48 states
HVAC Technicians
$28.60/hr national base
View all 48 states
Heavy Equipment Operators
$26.40/hr national base
View all 48 states
Pipefitters
$31.00/hr national base
View all 48 states
Pipelayers
$22.30/hr national base
View all 48 states
Drywallers
$24.10/hr national base
View all 48 states
Masons
$26.90/hr national base
View all 48 states
Painters
$22.80/hr national base
View all 48 states
Jump straight to a market
— Popular searches
These go straight to a specific trade and state, where you can run the calculator right away.
Most trade salary data online comes from annual government surveys that can lag the actual market by a year or more. Skillit's wage guide instead blends national base rates for each of the 12 core trades with live adjustments for state cost of living and demand, then layers in experience level, license status, and sector — residential, commercial, or industrial — to produce a range that reflects what contractors are hiring for right now.
Every trade page below lists all 48 states we cover, and every state page includes an interactive calculator so you can plug in your own years of experience, license status, and sector to get a personalized number in under 30 seconds — no account required.
Wage estimates built from real hiring activity
— How this data works
Don't guess your rate — calculate it.
Pick your trade and state to get a personalized pay range based on your experience, license, and sector in under 30 seconds, then create a free profile to get matched with contractors hiring near you.