4 Trades Where $100K+ Is in the BLS Numbers. Here's the Path.

Four U.S. trades have $100K+ wages documented in federal data. No four-year degree required.

The four, ranked by top-10% wage:

• Powerline worker — top 10% earns $126,610+
• Aircraft mechanic — top 10% earns $120,080+
• Electrician — top 10% earns $106,030+
• Plumber/pipefitter — top 10% earns $105,150+

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2024. Roughly half a million people across these four trades earned six figures last year.

If you're in your twenties watching friends take on $80K in student loans for jobs AI is already optimizing — the math in these trades is different. Most of the people earning at the top got there through a specific path: 5-10 years, master licensing or specialty certification, geography that pays, the right industry within the trade.

Here's what each path actually looks like.

The Pattern Behind the Numbers

Three things show up across all four trades. Worth understanding before you read the data.

Specialization beats generalization. The $100K+ earners aren't doing residential service work. They're in industrial, commercial, transmission, or aerospace. The wage gap between a residential electrician and an industrial electrician can be $30K-$50K — same trade, same license, different path.

Geography matters more than people think. BLS state-level data shows top-paying states often pay nearly double the lowest-paying states for the same trade. New Jersey aircraft mechanics earn a median of $109,380. The same job in lower-cost rural markets pays under $65,000.

The path takes 5-10 years. The top tier isn't year-one journeyman pay. It's master license, business owner, or specialty certification territory. The compounding happens in years 5 through 10.

Now the data.

Powerline Worker

This is the surprise of the deck.

The median wage for powerline workers is already $92,560 according to the BLS OOH — meaning half of working powerline installers and repairers in 2024 earned more than that. Most of them aren't far from the $100K threshold. The top 10% crosses $126,610. The bottom 10% still earns over $50,020 — higher than the bottom 10% of any other trade in this article.

Half of all powerline workers earned more than $92,560 in 2024. This is the only trade in this article where six figures is closer to median than to top tier.

What separates the top 10% from the median:

• Apprenticeship. Typically 4 years through IBEW or utility-direct programs.
• Journey-level lineman certification after apprenticeship completion.
• Specialization. Transmission lines vs. distribution. Storm response. Substation work. Helicopter crews for high-voltage transmission.
• Risk premium. Powerline work is among the most physically dangerous skilled trades. The pay reflects that.

The catch: the work is genuinely hard. Storm response means traveling for weeks to disaster zones — Florida hurricanes, Texas ice storms, California fire-recovery work. Climbing transmission towers in any weather. Helicopter operations on high-voltage lines. The median pays $92K because the trade-offs are real.

Demand is growing. BLS projects 7% job growth through 2034 — much faster than average — driven by grid modernization, EV charging infrastructure buildout, and aging workforce replacement.

See the full FC trade profile · How to become a powerline worker

Aircraft Mechanic

Aircraft mechanics had the highest top-10% wage of any trade requiring a single specialized credential. The 90th percentile clears $120,080 according to the BLS OOH. There are 139,400 working aircraft mechanics in the U.S. The median is $78,680.

That last number matters. The median aircraft mechanic earns more than 75% of working electricians or plumbers. The entire wage distribution sits higher than for the others on this list — because the entry credential (FAA Airframe & Powerplant certification) is harder to earn, which compresses the supply of people who can legally do the work.

What separates the top 10% from the median:

• FAA A&P certification. Required by federal regulation. No A&P, no aircraft maintenance.
• Training pipeline. 8-24 months at an FAA Part 147 school OR military aviation experience (the GI Bill route).
• Specialization. Avionics technicians, lead mechanics, inspectors, and supervisors all sit above median.
• Industry. Scheduled airlines pay the highest median ($89,540). Aerospace manufacturing is close at $88,770.
• Geography. New Jersey leads at $109,380 median. Major hub cities (Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago) consistently pay premium.

The catch: the FAA credential is the gate. You can't shortcut it. But once you have it, the wage distribution is one of the most consistently strong in skilled trades — even the median income clears the U.S. national median wage by roughly 60%.

This trade is also under acute labor shortage. Boeing's 2025 Pilot and Technician Outlook projects global demand for 710,000 new aviation maintenance technicians through 2044. The North American shortage stood at roughly 17,000 mechanics in 2026 according to Oliver Wyman analysis, projected to peak near 30,000 by 2028 as baby-boomer retirements outpace new certifications.

See the full FC trade profile · How to become an aircraft mechanic

Electrician

There are 818,700 working electricians in the United States — more than the other three trades on this list combined. The top tenth (roughly 81,000 of them) earned more than $106,030 in 2024 according to the BLS OOH. The national median sits at $62,350.

That's one of the widest wage ranges in skilled trades. Which means the path matters more than the entry.

The top 10% are almost never electricians who only do residential service work. They're masters running shops, journeymen on industrial crews, or specialists in growth sub-categories.

What separates the top 10% from the median:

• Master license. Most states require 7,500-10,000 hours of documented work plus a technical exam.
• Business ownership OR specialization. Top-tier earners are masters running their own shops — or specialists in industrial, data center, EV infrastructure, or solar.
• Geography. Top-paying states include Illinois, New York, Oregon, and California. Union markets dominate the top tier.
• Industry. The highest-paying industries for electricians are natural gas distribution and government work — not the residential service most people picture.

The catch: the top 10% are almost never electricians who only do residential service work. They're masters running their own shops, journeymen on industrial or commercial crews, or specialists in growth sub-categories — including the data center buildout currently reshaping demand in cities like Houston.

BLS projects 9% job growth for electricians through 2034 — much faster than average — with about 81,000 openings projected each year.

See the full FC trade profile · How to become an electrician

Plumber, Pipefitter, Steamfitter

There are 504,500 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters working in the United States. The top tenth crosses $105,150 according to the BLS OOH. National median: $62,970.

Important nuance: the BLS bundles these three job titles together because the work overlaps. Most $100K+ earners in this category are pipefitters working industrial — refineries, power plants, data centers, large commercial — not residential plumbers fixing sinks.

What separates the top 10% from the median:

• Master plumber license (state-specific) OR pipefitter/steamfitter certification.
• Specialization. Industrial pipefitting (refineries, power plants, data center mechanical systems), commercial plumbing, medical gas certification.
• Business ownership. Many top-of-distribution earners are running their own shops, employing other plumbers.
• Geography. Illinois leads with $87,980 mean wage. Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey close behind.

The catch: the trade has wide variance and the path matters a lot. Residential plumbers — the people who unclog drains and replace water heaters — are mostly in the median band. The $100K+ earners are typically working commercial, industrial, or specialty work. Same license. Different path.

BLS projects 4% job growth through 2034 with 44,000 openings per year — driven heavily by retirements as the existing workforce ages out.

See the full FC trade profile · How to become a plumber

The Bottom Line

These four trades have $100K+ ceilings documented in federal data. The path takes 5-10 years. The specializations that pay are clear. The geography that pays is mapped.

If you're staring at a four-year degree, $80K in projected loan debt, and a job market where AI is already eating the work — the math here is different. Lower upfront investment. A real ceiling. A documented path.

Two ways to go deeper:

• → See the salary in your state · BLS data for all four trades, by state and metro
• → Find your fit in 90 seconds · Free quiz, no email required to start