Skip to the page
Not Just College

For parents of teenagers headed into the trades

The Trades, One by One

Every figure in this section comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, carries the period it was measured in, and links back to the page it came from. That sounds like a small thing. It is the main reason these pages disagree with a lot of what else is written on this subject.

Two numbers matter more than the ones usually quoted: the wage distribution rather than a single headline salary, and annual openings rather than growth percent.

  1. Do Electricians Really Make 100,000 Dollars?

    The middle electrician earned 62,350 dollars in May 2024 and the top ten percent cleared 106,030. Where your teenager lands depends on five things.

  2. How to Read a Career Growth Statistic

    Growth percent is the number everyone quotes. Annual openings is the one that decides whether your teenager gets hired. How to read a BLS page.

  3. Licensing: What Your State Does and Does Not Require

    There is no national trade licence, plumbing is not licensed everywhere, and licence, certification and registration are three different things. Who to call.

  4. Which Trades Are Actually Dangerous?

    BLS puts roofers at 48.7 deaths per 100,000 workers and electricians at 5.3, below auto techs, painters and plumbers. The real ranking for 2024.

  5. Do the Trades Wreck Your Body?

    The everyday injury data is more ordinary than you expect. The named hazards are worse. Trenches, arc flash, welding fume, and the realistic long arc.