Overall rank #1
Industrial Maintenance
81
$64,100median
+14%growth
51.9Kopenings
Original TrainingForFuture research · 2026 edition
2026 Skilled Trades Opportunity Index
A transparent national comparison of skilled trades using three things job seekers can verify: pay, projected growth, and annual openings.
Published September 16, 2026 · 18 occupations · BLS May 2025 wages + 2025 to 2035 projections
Explore this career →
Overall rank #2
Electrician
74
$63,190median
+9%growth
72.7Kopenings
Overall rank #3
Lineworker
73
$95,320median
+10%growth
10.9Kopenings
Interactive rankings
Compare the same occupations four different ways.
The overall score balances labor-market opportunity. The other views show the raw BLS metric directly so you can see why a career rises or falls.
RankTradeMedian payGrowthOpeningsIndex
181/100
Industrial Machinery Mechanic / Millwright
Pay$64,100
Growth+14%
Openings51.9K
Overall index81
274/100
Electrician
Pay$63,190
Growth+9%
Openings72.7K
Overall index74
373/100
Electrical Power-Line Installer / Repairer
Pay$95,320
Growth+10%
Openings10.9K
Overall index73
470/100
Plumber / Pipefitter
Pay$63,800
Growth+7%
Openings42K
Overall index70
564/100
HVAC Technician
Pay$61,010
Growth+11%
Openings40.6K
Overall index64
663/100
Elevator & Escalator Installer / Repairer
Pay$109,910
Growth+6%
Openings1.9K
Overall index63
763/100
Wind Turbine Technician
Pay$64,120
Growth+30%
Openings1.5K
Overall index63
858/100
Heavy & Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver
Pay$58,640
Growth+4%
Openings215K
Overall index58
956/100
Carpenter
Pay$60,580
Growth+4%
Openings62.8K
Overall index56
1052/100
Construction & Building Inspector
Pay$74,690
Growth0%
Openings14.8K
Overall index52
1141/100
Sheet Metal Worker
Pay$61,800
Growth+3%
Openings9.8K
Overall index41
1241/100
Solar Photovoltaic Installer
Pay$53,140
Growth+37%
Openings4.2K
Overall index41
1339/100
Boilermaker
Pay$76,410
Growth-2%
Openings700
Overall index39
1439/100
Roofer
Pay$55,440
Growth+5%
Openings12K
Overall index39
1536/100
Ironworker
Pay$61,910
Growth+1%
Openings6.8K
Overall index36
1635/100
Welder
Pay$53,750
Growth+2%
Openings40.3K
Overall index35
1734/100
Masonry Worker
Pay$58,270
Growth+1%
Openings18.4K
Overall index34
1831/100
Construction & Maintenance Painter
Pay$49,400
Growth+3%
Openings24.9K
Overall index31
Ranking numbers in this table change when you switch views. The final “Index” column always shows TrainingForFuture's overall opportunity score.
How the score works
Transparent by design.
The index is intentionally simple enough to audit. It compares each occupation only against the other occupations in this edition.
40%
Median pay
40% — percentile rank of the May 2025 national median annual wage among included occupations.
30%
Projected growth
30% — percentile rank of the BLS 2025 to 2035 projected employment-growth rate among included occupations.
30%
Annual openings
30% — percentile rank of projected annual openings among included occupations.
Questions about the index
What the score means, and what it does not.
How is the Opportunity Index calculated?
The 2026 index uses a weighted percentile score across the skilled-trade occupations in TrainingForFuture's official national dataset. Median annual pay receives 40% of the score, projected 2025 to 2035 employment growth 30%, and projected annual openings 30%.
Does the highest score mean the career is best for everyone?
No. The index compares national labor-market opportunity only. It does not measure personal fit, local licensing, physical demands, work schedule, cost of living, or an individual's likely earnings.
How are grouped occupations handled?
Some rows use a BLS profile that covers several occupations, such as Industrial Machinery Mechanic / Millwright (SOC 49-9041, 49-9043 and 49-9044). For those rows we use the combined BLS profile figures, not an average of the individual occupations. A few rows do not yet list a SOC code in the download because we have not verified the mapping to the BLS profile; we leave those blank instead of guessing.
What can the weights and national data not tell me?
The 40/30/30 weights are our editorial choice, not a measured importance of pay, growth and openings for any person. National figures cannot show your local wages, how many openings are in your area, whether an employer will hire a beginner, or what a program costs where you live. Use the index to decide which trades deserve a closer look, then check local sources.
What data does the 2026 edition use?
The current edition uses U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 national wage benchmarks and 2025 to 2035 employment projections for 18 skilled-trade occupations maintained in TrainingForFuture's official-data registry.
Source notes
Built from public data. Analysis is TrainingForFuture's.
Underlying wage and employment figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. TrainingForFuture created the weighting method, percentile scoring, ranking, presentation and interpretation.
Wages
National median annual wage, May 2025.
Growth
Projected percentage employment change, 2025 to 2035.
Openings
Projected annual openings, including growth and replacement needs.
Cite this research
How to cite the Opportunity Index
This is TrainingForFuture's own index. It is not a ranking published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which supplies only the underlying wage, growth and openings data.
TrainingForFuture. "2026 Skilled Trades Opportunity Index." Published September 16, 2026. https://trainingforfuture.com/research/skilled-trades-opportunity-index-2026. Underlying data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections, verified September 13, 2026. Add your own access date.