You won't believe what is the highest paying trade in NJ

Not long ago I wrote an article about how lucrative the trades have become, especially in a state like New Jersey where not too many people are attracted to a career in one of the trades.

But just in case you’ve decided that college is not for you, or your kid, and always wondered what the highest-paying trade in New Jersey is, I think you’re going to be shocked.

A new report that looked at the 10 highest-paying trade jobs in the United States found out that New Jersey is sixth in the country for ironworkers. And they earn over $68,000 a year.

SEE MORE: NJ leads the country in mental health support

Canva

The folks at Pro Tool Reviews did the homework and found out where tradespeople are making the big bucks and which roles are in demand.

Top of the list is the elevator and escalator installers in Nevada, raking in over $100,000 a year.

California’s killing it too with high wages for power-line installers, boilermakers, and wind turbine techs. And let's not forget Hawaii, paying top dollar for telecom installers and pipefitters.

Right here in the Garden State, ironworkers are earning a sweet $32.80 an hour, which adds up to $68,220 a year. This just goes to show New Jersey is a solid spot for high-paying trade jobs.

Canva

Some other interesting statistics show that maintenance and repair workers are what we need most in the country. If you are looking for a job in either of those fields, you will find 55,000 job openings.

If you’re curious about where the highest-paid trade workers are, that would be Hawaii. With an average yearly wage of $79,770. And although drilling doesn’t sound very interesting to me, Earth drillers are seeing a job boom with a 177.2% employment increase over the past five years.

And you may or may not remember the scene in Flashdance, where the girl welder throws off her helmet to reveal herself, just like in that movie, welding is hot! Over 338,000 Google searches last year alone show a big interest in welding jobs among Americans.

Canva

So, New Jersey is looking pretty good for trade professionals. With great pay and a high demand for skilled workers, it’s a fantastic place to build a career.

I think that we are reaching a point of diminishing returns with the “college for everyone” attitude that we have here in this country. Hopefully, more people consider the trees as a legitimately lucrative and fulfilling career.