Alaska is the #1 highest paying state for plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians

The United States is currently in the throes of a skilled trades worker shortage. Across the board, the country doesn’t have enough qualified electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and carpenters to meet the demand. One recent study found that many of the most in-demand jobs remain unfilled for at least a month. This comes as millions of Americans who were laid off during the early days of the coronavirus are looking for work.

That being said, not all job markets are the same. While it should be fairly easy to find work in all 50 states, how much that work pays is different depending on the state. To find the states where home service workers are paid the most, ServiceTitan analyzed June 2020 data from Payscale. The average salary of a home service worker was calculated by averaging the pay of entry-, intermediate-, and senior-level workers in each state. HVAC technicians, plumbers, and electricians were all included in the dataset, which can be seen nationally here.

Alaska by the numbers

- Average yearly salary: $61,156 ($29.40 hourly)
--- Plumbers: $59,833 ($28.77 hourly)
--- Plumber pay increase from entry to senior level: $15,600 ($7.50 hourly)
--- HVAC technician: $60,833 ($29.25 hourly)
--- HVAC technician pay increase from entry to senior level: $18,200 ($8.75 hourly)
--- Electrician: $62,800 ($30.19 hourly)
--- Electrician pay increase from entry to senior level: $18,700 ($8.99 hourly)

Alaska’s remoteness contributes to the state’s higher salaries, as there are fewer experienced tradespeople willing to move to the state. But those who are willing to relocate fare well, especially HVAC technicians and plumbers, as Alaska is the highest paying in the country for those jobs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the best-paying jobs for electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians are found in Anchorage and Kodiak, Alaska, according to Indeed. The population of Alaska has been on the decline over recent years, which means salaries may go down if demand decreases. The cost of living is also high in the remote state, coming in sixth in the nation.

Check the statistics below to discover where your talents are valued the most and least, and to get a better handle on whether or not making a move for your career would be worth it.

States that pay home service workers the most

#1. Alaska: $61,156 average yearly salary ($29.40 hourly)
#2. Massachusetts: $59,700 average yearly salary ($28.70 hourly)
#3. California: $59,511 average yearly salary ($28.61 hourly)

States that pay home service workers the least

#1. Arkansas: $47,944 average yearly salary ($23.05 hourly)
#2. West Virginia: $48,178 average yearly salary ($23.16 hourly)
#3. Idaho: $49,433 average yearly salary ($23.77 hourly)

This story originally appeared on ServiceTitan and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.