High paying construction jobs in West Virginia with no degree

The best paid construction occupations in West Virginia 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 West Virginia run 10.5% below the national average (2024), so a West Virginia salary is worth about 1.12× 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 West Virginia.

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

Find construction jobs in West Virginia

OccupationMedian, West Virginia · Employed

1First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$80,060
High school diploma or equivalent
$51,220 – $127,1805,380
2Roof Bolters, Mining$79,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$63,820 – $90,720970
3Continuous Mining Machine Operators$77,570
No formal educational credential
$59,840 – $90,690720
4Helpers--Extraction Workers$77,180
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,970 – $77,230360
5Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining$74,950
No formal educational credential
$64,120 – $81,1001,250
6Sheet Metal Workers$72,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,170 – $76,020540
7Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other$65,610
No formal educational credential
$61,910 – $81,680240
8Electricians$64,810
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,620 – $95,1404,290
9Construction and Building Inspectors$64,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,090 – $92,930540
10Extraction Workers, All Other$63,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$60,750 – $72,350470
11Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining$61,330
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,030 – $79,320650
12Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas$57,020
No formal educational credential
$46,730 – $80,250240
13Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$56,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,010 – $83,1601,830
14Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators$56,660
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,940 – $71,010270
15Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas$56,250
No formal educational credential
$37,680 – $81,930580
16Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas$55,540
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,380 – $62,400240
17Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$51,950
No formal educational credential
$32,170 – $63,790760
18Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$51,300
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,500 – $76,9707,830
19Roofers$51,170
No formal educational credential
$28,660 – $69,820440
20Carpenters$48,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,900 – $70,0603,670
21Highway Maintenance Workers$45,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,440 – $53,910730
22Painters, Construction and Maintenance$44,230
No formal educational credential
$29,200 – $63,640720
23Construction Laborers$42,670
No formal educational credential
$30,770 – $60,5506,620
24Helpers--Carpenters$33,760
No formal educational credential
$29,370 – $47,930320

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

#	Occupation	MedianWest Virginia	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,060	$51,220 – $127,180	5,380
2	Roof Bolters, MiningHigh school diploma or equivalent	$79,400	$63,820 – $90,720	970
3	Continuous Mining Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$77,570	$59,840 – $90,690	720
4	Helpers--Extraction WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$77,180	$36,970 – $77,230	360
5	Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground MiningNo formal educational credential	$74,950	$64,120 – $81,100	1,250
6	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$72,390	$38,170 – $76,020	540
7	Underground Mining Machine Operators, All OtherNo formal educational credential	$65,610	$61,910 – $81,680	240
8	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,810	$43,620 – $95,140	4,290
9	Construction and Building InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,000	$34,090 – $92,930	540
10	Extraction Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,550	$60,750 – $72,350	470
11	Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface MiningHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,330	$46,030 – $79,320	650
12	Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$57,020	$46,730 – $80,250	240
13	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,980	$36,010 – $83,160	1,830
14	Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,660	$46,940 – $71,010	270
15	Service Unit Operators, Oil and GasNo formal educational credential	$56,250	$37,680 – $81,930	580
16	Earth Drillers, Except Oil and GasHigh school diploma or equivalent	$55,540	$43,380 – $62,400	240
17	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$51,950	$32,170 – $63,790	760
18	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$51,300	$36,500 – $76,970	7,830
19	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$51,170	$28,660 – $69,820	440
20	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,710	$35,900 – $70,060	3,670
21	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,260	$31,440 – $53,910	730
22	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$44,230	$29,200 – $63,640	720
23	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$42,670	$30,770 – $60,550	6,620
24	Helpers--CarpentersNo formal educational credential	$33,760	$29,370 – $47,930	320

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

Metro areas in West Virginia

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

By field in West Virginia

Without a degree

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

High paying construction jobs in West Virginia with no degree

More for West Virginia

Metro areas in West Virginia

By field in West Virginia

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no degree