How We Build Salary Figures
Every wage figure on this site traces to a published public source. This page lists those sources and defines the terms the salary pages use.
State, metro and non-metro figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, cross-industry, all ownership. Each trade maps to one Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code:
- →Electricians: SOC 47-2111 (Electricians)
- →Plumbers and pipefitters: SOC 47-2152 (Plumbers and Pipefitters)
- →HVAC technicians: SOC 49-9021 (HVAC and Refrigeration Mechanics)
- →Carpenters: SOC 47-2031 (Carpenters)
- →Ironworkers: SOC 47-2221 (Structural Iron and Steel Workers)
- →Masons: SOC 47-2021 (Brickmasons and Blockmasons)
BLS withholds an employment count for some areas while still publishing wages; those pages show the wage and no count. BLS publishes no estimate at all for some trade and area combinations, and no page exists for those.
Journey-level union rates come from one of three public sources: a federal Davis-Bacon wage determination published on SAM.gov, a state prevailing wage determination, or a local's own collective bargaining agreement or wage sheet. Each rate shows which source it came from and its effective date.
A state prevailing wage rate is set by a state agency, not negotiated by a named local, so it is shown as a state rate. Where no union rate is published for an area, the page says so rather than filling the gap with an estimate.
- Median
- The middle wage: half of the workers in the occupation and area earn more, half earn less. Every headline figure on this site is a median. Mean (average) wages appear only in the full wage tables, labeled as such, because a few high earners can pull an average up.
- Journey-level
- The rate for a fully trained journeyman under a union agreement or wage determination. BLS figures are not journey-level: they cover every worker in the occupation, apprentice through master, union and non-union, in one number.
- Base rate and fringe
- The base rate is the hourly wage. Fringe is the employer's hourly contribution to benefits such as pension, health coverage and training funds, paid on top of the base rate. Fringe is not take-home pay. Where a rate comes from a local's own wage sheet, the fringe shown counts the same benefit categories a Davis-Bacon determination counts.
- Effective date
- The date a union rate took effect, as stated in its source. A rate stays on the page until a newer one is published and captured.
- More than two years old
- Shown beside any union rate whose effective date is more than 24 months ago. The rate still renders, because it is the most recent one published, but a newer agreement may be in force. Confirm the current rate with the local.
Cost-of-living adjustments on the regional salary pages use the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) composite index by state, where 100 is the U.S. average.
Cost of living data provided by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC). The data has been modified for use from its original source, which is the State of Missouri. THE STATE OF MISSOURI MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTY AS TO THE COMPLETENESS, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, OR CONTENT OF ANY DATA MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE. THE STATE OF MISSOURI EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Data is subject to change as modifications and updates are complete. Use at your own risk.
The figures these definitions describe are available as CSV downloads, one per trade, on the data for journalists page.