Highest Paying Trade Jobs – 2024
August 10, 2024
Many Americans accept the idea that a high-paying career and university education go hand in hand. While it鈥檚 largely true that college degrees are a major source of social mobility and financial well-being, it鈥檚 also true that many high-paying careers involve specialized skills that one needn鈥檛 get a bachelor鈥檚 degree to learn. Trade jobs offer meaningful and often high paid work without requiring a college education. This article surveys some of the highest-paying trade jobs, from commercial pilots to long-haul truck drivers. It also offers information on how to enter each profession, whether through vocational school, training, or certification.
The data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics鈥� concerning 鈥減ostsecondary nondegree award鈥� or trade jobs. A bit confusingly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics alternates between noting median and mean pay. This article lists jobs in the same order as they appear in the Occupation Outlook Handbook, noting whether the salary listed is the mean or median for each profession.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs 2024
1)
Job Description: Pilots fly and navigate various kinds of aircraft, including airplanes and helicopters. While airline pilots fly passengers on schedules set by airlines, commercial pilots transport cargo or personnel for compensation. Commercial piloting tops the US Bureau of Labor Statistics鈥� list of high-salaried jobs requiring only nondegree certification.
Mean Pay: $138,010
Education Requirements: Commercial pilots must complete flight training and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements.
2)
Job Description: Ship engineers lead teams focused on maintaining the equipment on ships, including engines, boilers, and other equipment. Among water transportation workers, ship engineering tops the list of highest paid trade jobs.
Mean Pay: $100,550
Education Requirements: Coast Guard licensing and educational certifications in naval engineering or related fields from accredited maritime colleges and universities
3)
Job Description: The highest paid trade jobs involving electrical and electronics installation and repair are highly specialized. Topping the list are workers who inspect, test, and repair electrical equipment in generating stations and other heavy industrial settings.
Mean Pay: $92,840
Education Requirements: A high school diploma plus apprenticeship training, certification, or work experience for this highly compensated specialization.
4)
Job Description: Supervisors of firefighting and fire prevention oversee and manage the activities of workers in these first-response fields. The role requires significant work experience in a field that can involve difficult schedules.
Mean Pay: $90,740
Education Requirements: Significant work experience, training, and certification.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
5)
Job Description: 鈥淐aptains, mates, and pilots of water vessels鈥� encompasses all commanders of ships, including tugboats and ferryboats, but not motorboats. They can work in a variety of industries, from scenic to deep-sea transportation.
Mean Pay: $89,740
Education Requirements: Required to be licensed by U.S. Coast Guard.
6)听
Job Description: The second of the highest paid trade jobs in electrical installation and repair involves equipment on trains and ships. Installers and repairers in these contexts work to maintain sound, sonar, security, navigation, and surveillance systems.
Mean Pay: $76,380
Education Requirements: A high school diploma plus apprenticeship training, certification, or work experience.
7)听
Job Description: Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians service various kinds of aircraft. Training in this field can come through an approved Federal Aviation Administration school, on the job, or through military service.
Median Pay: $75,400
Education Requirements: A high school diploma plus FAA trade school, work or military experience.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
8)听
Job Description: Auto insurance appraisers evaluate vehicle damage and establish repair costs for insurance purposes. In addition to having familiarity with cost estimates, they often seek agreements with repair shops on costs.
Median Pay: $75,020
Education Requirements: High school diploma and in some cases insurance-related work experience or education. Through trade school or work experience, they acquire expertise identifying and estimating auto repair costs.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
9)
Job Description: Inspectors look at buildings to identify fire-causing hazards and ensure compliance with local laws and ordinances. They also can investigate fires to determine causes, which can be legally and financially significant.
Median Pay: $71,420
Education Requirements: Beyond a high school diploma, work experience in firefighting and fire prevention is typically needed. Inspectors also usually receive either on-the-job-training or certification in inspection and investigation.
10)听
Job Description: The third and final of the highest paid trade jobs in electrical repair involves commercial and industrial equipment. Specialized professionals in this trade work with industrial controls, transmitters, and antennas in spaces like factories, mills, and oil rigs.
Mean Pay: $69,810
Education Requirements: A high school diploma plus apprenticeship training, certification, or work experience.
11)
Job Description: As anyone who has watched a legal drama knows, court reporters write accurate transcripts at trials and other legal proceedings. Those same legal dramas aired on television usually come with captions, which are created by simultaneous captioners. In addition to television captions, simultaneous captioners create transcripts for conferences and business meetings. Though the roles are similar, they serve different records-keeping and accessibility functions.
Median Pay: $63,940
Education Requirements: Education through community college or technical school programs, some on-the-job training, and often a state license or certification.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)聽
12)
Job Description: A subcategory of machine workers, computer numerically controlled (CNC) tool programmers work with automatic machines, equipment, or systems. As the name implies, they are responsible for developing programs that govern these automata and their tasks. They might also install, set up, operate, and repair or maintain these tools.
Mean Pay: $67,650
Education Requirements: CNC tool programmers need a secondary school diploma, trade school or other nondegree education, and on-the-job training.
13)
Job Description: Lighting technicians work on lighting and rigging equipment used for theatrical, film, television, and video productions, as well as photography. They do the physical, logistical work of set up, maintenance, and tear down. Further responsibilities include operating lighting tools, filters, and other accessories.
Mean Pay: $73,250
Education Requirements: Training and further education requirements for technicians working in broadcast, video, and live productions vary based on type of work.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
14)
Job Description: Wind turbine technicians service the waving behemoths of renewable energy. Professionals in this trade must be comfortable working mostly outdoors and suppressing any fear of heights.
Median Pay: $61,770
Education Requirements: Trade school or other nondegree education is required for the occupation, which also involves on-the-job training.
15)
Job Description: Tool and die makers create, service, and maintain equipment used by machinists and others in a range of industries. They must understand and realize specifications for making or assembling dies, cutting tools, jigs, fixtures, gauges, and hand tools.
Mean Pay: $62,020
Education Requirements: Tool and die makers need their diploma and often must complete postsecondary schooling. There are training opportunities through apprenticeships, trade schools, and community colleges.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
16)
Job Description: Commercial divers can use scuba training and equipment to inspect, maintain, remove, and install equipment or structures. This can involve drilling, welding, and demolishing (sometimes using rigged explosives). Workers in this field might also be tasked with photographing equipment or marine life underwater.
Median Pay: $61,300
Education Requirements: Nondegree education and some on-the-job training are expected for this profession.
17)
Job Description: Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers service phone, internet, and radio infrastructure and equipment. Internet routers and fiber optic lines are among the communications technologies that these trade professionals are trained to work with.
Median Pay: $62,350
Education Requirements: A high school diploma is required, and certification or an associate鈥檚 degree can be beneficial for entering this industry.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
18)
Job Description: Also called operating room technicians, surgical technologists assist with surgical operations. They manage, prepare, and arrange operating rooms and equipment, and provide support to doctors and other assistants.
Median Pay: $60,370
Education Requirements: Postsecondary nondegree certification or an associate鈥檚 degree are typically required for surgical technologists.
19)
Job Description: Elsewhere I鈥檝e broken down the highest paid nursing professions, where certified registered nurse anesthetists top the list. Licensed practical (LPN) and licensed vocational (LVN) nurses exemplify how nurses with far less schooling can have one of the highest paid trade jobs. These nurses provide basic medical care to ill patients or patients with disabilities. The two titles are synonymous and dependent on what each state calls these professionals.
Median Pay: $59,730
Education Requirements: LPNs and LVNs are licensed and must complete state training programs that take about one year.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
20)
Job Description: Sound engineering technicians apply their trades in theater, video, television, film, podcast, and sporting productions. They can be responsible for recording, mixing, editing, and playing instrumental music, speech and singing, and sound effects.
Mean Pay: $74,100
Education Requirements: Training and further education requirements for technicians working in broadcast, video, and live productions vary based on type of work.
21)
Job Description: Like surgical technologists, surgical assistants form part of the support team for surgical operations. Also called surgical first assistants, they assist the rest of the medical team in making incisions and closing surgical sites.
Median Pay: $60,370
Education Requirements: Nondegree certification or an associate鈥檚 degree are typically required for surgical assistants.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs (Continued)
22)
Job Description: Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers service HVAC systems necessary for temperature and air quality control. Their job tasks can involve installing, inspecting, repairing, and monitoring various components of these systems.
Median Pay: $57,300
Education Requirements: Typically, nondegree training through trade schools or college programs is required. Licensing and significant on-the-job training are also to be expected.
23)
Job Description: While supervisors of firefighters and fire prevention workers is near the top of this list, firefighters themselves are one of the highest paid trade jobs. Firefighters are first responders, trained to deal with a wide variety of emergencies and specialized in stopping fires.
Median Pay: $57,120
Education Requirements: Firefighters need a high school diploma and emergency service training. To become a firefighter, one must pass theoretical and practical or physical tests after training at a fire academy.
Highest Paying Trade Jobs: 24-25
24)
Job Description: Massage therapists work to relieve pain and stress for their clients. They do so through their training in the physical manipulation of human soft tissue and joints.
Median Pay: $55,310
Education Requirements: Many states require massage therapists to be licensed. Training can come through programs that emphasize both theoretical and practical study.
25)
Job Description: Another transportation sector trade, heavy truck drivers move commercial and industrial goods cross-country. Many of these professionals are long-haul drivers, delivering across several states in the course of one journey.
Median Pay: $54,320
Education Requirements: A high school diploma, education at a professional truck driving school, and a commercial driver鈥檚 license are required.
Additional Resources — Highest Paying Trade Jobs
We hope you enjoyed our article on the best paid trade jobs. Of course, salary is only one consideration when exploring careers. The following articles may also be of interest.
- What is a Trade School?
- Best Trade School Jobs
- 15 Best Carpentry Schools
- 16 Best Welding Schools
- 20 Best X-Ray Tech Schools
- Best Careers for People With ADHD
- 10 Best Colleges Offering Online Associate’s Degrees
