Plumber is Skilled Trades' highest-paid role this quarter, 1.50× Mechanic's median. Mechanic is also the vertical's widest band (2.16×) — plausibly a title spanning auto, diesel, and industrial-equipment postings under one label, a scope caveat worth stating plainly rather than implying one "Mechanic market."
Plumber pays 1.50× Mechanic at the national median this quarter — $53,188 vs. $35,505, the widest role-to-role premium in this vertical. Mechanic is also the widest single-role band, plausibly reflecting several sub-trades sharing one title.
1. Plumber: the vertical's highest-paid role. $35,045–$67,423 ($16.85–$32.41/hr), on 103,889 listings.
2. Mechanic: lowest-paid, and widest band (2.16×). $22,297–$48,087 ($10.72–$23.12/hr) — a scope signal (auto/diesel/industrial sharing one title), not market noise.
3. Electrician's band is nearly as wide as Mechanic's (1.95×). $31,100–$60,530 ($14.95–$29.10/hr).
4. Maintenance Technician's metro median swings 21% across the top-8 hiring metros. $21.00/hr in Houston to $25.40/hr in Chicago.
Electrician $21.87/hr vs. $30.38/hr (−28.0%); Maintenance Technician $18.08/hr vs. $23.38/hr (−22.7%); Mechanic $17.07/hr vs. $24.34/hr (−29.9%); Carpenter $18.40/hr vs. $29.12/hr (−36.8%); Welder $17.87/hr vs. $25.84/hr (−30.8%); Plumber $25.57/hr vs. $30.67/hr (−16.6%).
WageScape/MarketTrak, advertised postings, national, Apr 1–Jun 30, 2026. 2,157,949 combined listings across 6 roles. Every role is a P25/P50/P75 band. All 6 roles quoted per hour. A per-state wage-floor check is pending before any metro-level cut ships. Aggregates only.
Tell us any role and any metro — we'll send you that band, free. And when you're ready: a custom report with exactly your roles × your markets, built on demand.
Tell us the role and the market — we'll send the advertised P25/P50/P75 band, checked against BLS, within 2 business days. Free for HR and comp teams.
Source: WageScape/MarketTrak, mt_1q, national (region_state='ALL'), Apr 1–Jun 30, 2026, single quarter. Sample: 2,157,949 combined listings across 6 roles (smallest: Plumber, n=103,889). Every role is a P25/P50/P75 band, never a lone median. All 6 roles quoted per hour (hourly-native, annual ÷ 2080 shown alongside). A per-state minimum-wage floor check has not yet been run for this batch; not blocking here (no metro-level cut published in this release) but required before one ships. Aggregates only.
WageScape / MarketTrak, Q2 2026 · BLS check: OEWS May 2025
