Five apprenticeship occupations had hourly mean wages above the U.S. all-occupations average in 2023

Want to earn a paycheck while learning about an occupation? Consider an apprenticeship! Apprenticeships are formal relationships between workers and sponsors, such as individual employers, employer-and-labor organizations, or employer associations. Apprenticeship programs usually last three to five years and allow workers to earn money while receiving on-the-job training and technical instruction in an occupation. Occupations in which apprenticeships are the typical route for attaining competency are called “apprenticeship occupations” hereafter. These are all construction or installation, maintenance, and repair occupations. They typically require a high school diploma or the equivalent, such as a General Educational Development (GED) credential, for entry.

In May 2023, the highest paying occupation typically requiring an apprenticeship was elevator and escalator installers and repairers with an hourly mean of $48.11. The highest paying apprenticeship occupations also included boilermakers ($35.50); structural iron and steel workers ($32.80); plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters ($32.62); and electricians ($32.60). All five of these occupations had hourly mean wages above the U.S. all-occupations average ($31.48).

The lowest paying apprenticeship occupation was musical instrument repairers and tuners ($22.24). This was the only apprenticeship occupation with an hourly mean wage below the average of $24.87 for all occupations typically requiring a high school diploma or the equivalent for entry. The lowest paying apprenticeship occupations also included terrazzo workers and finishers ($26.07) and stonemasons ($27.37).

Electricians (712,580); carpenters (700,290); and plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (436,160) were the apprenticeship occupations with the largest employment in May 2023. With fewer than 1,500 jobs, terrazzo workers and finishers was the smallest apprenticeship occupation.

These data are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. OEWS employment and wage estimates represent all wage and salary jobs in the occupation, including both apprentices and fully trained workers. The data do not include the self-employed. Typical entry-level education and on-the-job-training requirements are based on education and training categories assigned to each occupation by the BLS Employment Projections program. Apprenticeships may also be available in other occupations, even if they aren’t the typical path for attaining competency. For more information, see “Beyond construction trades: Apprenticeships in a variety of careers.”