High paying construction jobs in Washington with no degree

The best paid construction occupations in Washington 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 Washington run 7.0% above the national average (2024), so a Washington salary is worth about 0.93× 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 Washington.

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

Find construction jobs in Washington

OccupationMedian, Washington · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$109,570
High school diploma or equivalent
$73,410 – $167,12019,550
2Sheet Metal Workers$98,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,650 – $149,2603,440
3Construction and Building Inspectors$96,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$63,840 – $121,7003,090
4Electricians$95,220
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,170 – $133,95019,380
5Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$81,700
High school diploma or equivalent
$57,200 – $125,49010,290
6Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$81,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$49,490 – $141,86012,470
7Tapers$79,040
No formal educational credential
$50,650 – $103,8801,550
8Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$77,520
No formal educational credential
$49,710 – $125,7204,440
9Carpenters$74,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,330 – $119,92026,960
10Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$73,130
No formal educational credential
$50,360 – $127,9702,670
11Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall$67,750
No formal educational credential
$45,380 – $132,7702,330
12Glaziers$66,860
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,650 – $131,2801,460
13Highway Maintenance Workers$65,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$54,830 – $80,0602,590
14Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners$63,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,690 – $83,8301,600
15Roofers$60,640
No formal educational credential
$47,860 – $104,0005,890
16Hazardous Materials Removal Workers$60,160
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,460 – $104,5303,250
17Painters, Construction and Maintenance$59,650
No formal educational credential
$45,450 – $80,3309,510
18Construction Laborers$57,720
No formal educational credential
$39,930 – $95,11025,060
19Fence Erectors$51,860
No formal educational credential
$44,200 – $73,3701,450

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

#	Occupation	MedianWashington	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$109,570	$73,410 – $167,120	19,550
2	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$98,550	$57,650 – $149,260	3,440
3	Construction and Building InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$96,140	$63,840 – $121,700	3,090
4	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$95,220	$52,170 – $133,950	19,380
5	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,700	$57,200 – $125,490	10,290
6	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$81,030	$49,490 – $141,860	12,470
7	TapersNo formal educational credential	$79,040	$50,650 – $103,880	1,550
8	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$77,520	$49,710 – $125,720	4,440
9	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,190	$52,330 – $119,920	26,960
10	Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNo formal educational credential	$73,130	$50,360 – $127,970	2,670
11	Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and WallNo formal educational credential	$67,750	$45,380 – $132,770	2,330
12	GlaziersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$66,860	$46,650 – $131,280	1,460
13	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$65,300	$54,830 – $80,060	2,590
14	Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe CleanersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,090	$46,690 – $83,830	1,600
15	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$60,640	$47,860 – $104,000	5,890
16	Hazardous Materials Removal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$60,160	$45,460 – $104,530	3,250
17	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$59,650	$45,450 – $80,330	9,510
18	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$57,720	$39,930 – $95,110	25,060
19	Fence ErectorsNo formal educational credential	$51,860	$44,200 – $73,370	1,450

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Washington. 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 Washington

Metro areas in Washington

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

By field in Washington

Without a degree

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

High paying construction jobs in Washington with no degree

More for Washington

Metro areas in Washington

By field in Washington

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no degree