High paying construction jobs in New Mexico with no degree

The best paid construction occupations in New Mexico that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

Cost of living: prices in New Mexico run 7.8% below the national average (2024), so a New Mexico salary is worth about 1.08× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in New Mexico.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find construction jobs in New Mexico

OccupationMedian, New Mexico · Employed

1Boilermakers$101,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$62,160 – $119,550300
2Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas$82,780
No formal educational credential
$48,840 – $101,860580
3First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$75,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$47,370 – $131,2506,790
4Construction and Building Inspectors$65,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$48,350 – $94,870800
5Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas$64,990
No formal educational credential
$47,400 – $101,9002,600
6Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$61,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,160 – $87,7002,830
7Carpenters$59,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,100 – $77,7903,630
8Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas$59,570
No formal educational credential
$31,670 – $74,800880
9Electricians$58,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,650 – $86,8305,020
10Sheet Metal Workers$56,720
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,410 – $84,690640
11Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$53,900
No formal educational credential
$37,440 – $77,150580
12Hazardous Materials Removal Workers$53,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,010 – $78,000680
13Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$52,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,800 – $69,6905,520
14Roustabouts, Oil and Gas$50,000
No formal educational credential
$36,440 – $65,7902,220
15Miscellaneous Construction and Related Workers$49,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,480 – $90,080420
16Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$49,230
No formal educational credential
$39,350 – $70,2601,540
17Continuous Mining Machine Operators$48,900
No formal educational credential
$38,630 – $61,850470
18Solar Photovoltaic Installers$48,490
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,020 – $75,370340
19Helpers--Electricians$48,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,610 – $59,730510
20Highway Maintenance Workers$47,740
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,770 – $59,3801,470
21Glaziers$46,940
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,380 – $57,140380
22Painters, Construction and Maintenance$46,240
No formal educational credential
$37,760 – $70,5601,010
23Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators$45,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,130 – $60,180990
24Plasterers and Stucco Masons$45,350
No formal educational credential
$37,440 – $61,410460
25Roofers$45,300
No formal educational credential
$35,880 – $73,8501,160
26Tile and Stone Setters$44,550
No formal educational credential
$33,480 – $59,740280
27Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$40,100
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,150 – $49,140400
28Construction Laborers$38,400
No formal educational credential
$30,840 – $53,59012,470
29Helpers, Construction Trades, All Other$37,280
No formal educational credential
$35,470 – $41,600510

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianNew Mexico	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	BoilermakersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$101,200	$62,160 – $119,550	300
2	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$82,780	$48,840 – $101,860	580
3	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$75,130	$47,370 – $131,250	6,790
4	Construction and Building InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,420	$48,350 – $94,870	800
5	Service Unit Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$64,990	$47,400 – $101,900	2,600
6	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,440	$36,160 – $87,700	2,830
7	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,720	$40,100 – $77,790	3,630
8	Derrick Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$59,570	$31,670 – $74,800	880
9	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,390	$36,650 – $86,830	5,020
10	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,720	$36,410 – $84,690	640
11	Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNo formal educational credential	$53,900	$37,440 – $77,150	580
12	Hazardous Materials Removal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$53,440	$37,010 – $78,000	680
13	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,000	$44,800 – $69,690	5,520
14	Roustabouts, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$50,000	$36,440 – $65,790	2,220
15	Miscellaneous Construction and Related WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,930	$39,480 – $90,080	420
16	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$49,230	$39,350 – $70,260	1,540
17	Continuous Mining Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$48,900	$38,630 – $61,850	470
18	Solar Photovoltaic InstallersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,490	$40,020 – $75,370	340
19	Helpers--ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,030	$35,610 – $59,730	510
20	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,740	$33,770 – $59,380	1,470
21	GlaziersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,940	$33,380 – $57,140	380
22	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$46,240	$37,760 – $70,560	1,010
23	Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,880	$37,130 – $60,180	990
24	Plasterers and Stucco MasonsNo formal educational credential	$45,350	$37,440 – $61,410	460
25	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$45,300	$35,880 – $73,850	1,160
26	Tile and Stone SettersNo formal educational credential	$44,550	$33,480 – $59,740	280
27	Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$40,100	$35,150 – $49,140	400
28	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$38,400	$30,840 – $53,590	12,470
29	Helpers, Construction Trades, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$37,280	$35,470 – $41,600	510

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in New Mexico. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for New Mexico

Metro areas in New Mexico

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in New Mexico

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in New Mexico to rank honestly.

High paying construction jobs in New Mexico with no degree

More for New Mexico

Metro areas in New Mexico

By field in New Mexico

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no degree