Amid rising college costs and growing concerns about white-collar job automation, more young Americans are turning to the skilled trades—drawn by strong wages, faster training paths, and better job security than most careers: employment in the sector is set to grow nearly 40% faster than the average for all jobs over the next decade.
In the 2025 edition of their Best-Paying Construction Jobs report, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed the latest BLS data to reveal the construction occupations commanding the highest wages, the states with the best pay for workers, and the jobs projected to grow fastest in the coming years.
Here are the 5 best-paying construction jobs in New York State:
| State Rank | Occupation | State median hourly wage | State median annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | $59.87 | $124,530 |
| 2 | Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $45.85 | $95,370 |
| 3 | First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | $45.83 | $95,330 |
| 4 | Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators | $40.79 | $84,840 |
| 5 | Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers | $39.24 | $81,630 |
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