New York is the #6 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.

New York by the numbers

- Average yearly salary: $57,744 ($27.76 hourly)
--- Plumbers: $55,833 ($26.84 hourly)
--- Plumber pay increase from entry to senior level: $14,400 ($6.92 hourly)
--- HVAC technician: $58,300 ($28.03 hourly)
--- HVAC technician pay increase from entry to senior level: $17,100 ($8.22 hourly)
--- Electrician: $59,100 ($28.41 hourly)
--- Electrician pay increase from entry to senior level: $18,100 ($8.70 hourly)

New York is a state where trade and construction industries are dominated by unions, and these unions are a major reason why salaries are so high. Strong unions have long negotiated for higher pay for skilled workers, although the recent shutdowns due to the coronavirus have resulted in some unions agreeing to reduced pay in exchange for increased work and more contracts. It’s possible that salaries for trade workers might see a slight decline in the coming years as the economy regains its footing—or doesn’t. Still, the sheer concentration in and around New York City explains why the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks the New York-Newark-Jersey City area as the metropolitan area with the highest employment level in the nation for plumbers, HVAC technicians, and electricians.

New York is also the state with the second-highest cost of living, meaning even higher-than-average salaries due to strong union bargaining won’t go as far for workers living in the city. The cost of living in New York City is significantly greater than other areas in the state, with Nerd Wallet estimating it is 138% higher than in Albany and 165% higher than in Buffalo. But salaries are lower outside the New York-Newark-Jersey City metropolitan area. Home service workers looking to strike a balance between good wages and decent cost of living should look to smaller cities like Rochester, New York.

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.