High paying construction jobs in Tennessee with no experience

The best paid construction occupations in Tennessee that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. 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 Tennessee run 8.1% below the national average (2024), so a Tennessee salary is worth about 1.09× 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 Tennessee.

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

Find construction jobs in Tennessee

OccupationMedian, Tennessee · Employed

1Brickmasons and Blockmasons$63,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,610 – $75,6401,050
2Electricians$61,090
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,600 – $92,16017,070
3Sheet Metal Workers$59,170
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,710 – $79,3601,850
4Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$58,600
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,520 – $82,0209,270
5Structural Iron and Steel Workers$56,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,500 – $74,7001,240
6Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$52,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,600 – $75,43010,660
7Carpenters$50,830
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,460 – $66,4508,200
8Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall$48,410
No formal educational credential
$34,900 – $71,4901,160
9Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$47,910
No formal educational credential
$35,990 – $60,4403,920
10Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$47,510
No formal educational credential
$37,220 – $65,6501,150
11Highway Maintenance Workers$46,070
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,180 – $57,2702,280
12Roofers$45,690
No formal educational credential
$32,180 – $61,3402,110
13Construction Laborers$45,000
No formal educational credential
$34,910 – $59,99026,250
14Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$44,550
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,620 – $49,7201,100
15Painters, Construction and Maintenance$43,230
No formal educational credential
$35,110 – $61,0303,040
16Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators$42,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,300 – $60,3001,730
17Helpers--Electricians$39,710
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,870 – $48,3403,240

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

#	Occupation	MedianTennessee	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Brickmasons and BlockmasonsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,850	$46,610 – $75,640	1,050
2	ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,090	$39,600 – $92,160	17,070
3	Sheet Metal WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,170	$38,710 – $79,360	1,850
4	Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,600	$38,520 – $82,020	9,270
5	Structural Iron and Steel WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,750	$44,500 – $74,700	1,240
6	Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,000	$41,600 – $75,430	10,660
7	CarpentersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,830	$37,460 – $66,450	8,200
8	Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and WallNo formal educational credential	$48,410	$34,900 – $71,490	1,160
9	Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersNo formal educational credential	$47,910	$35,990 – $60,440	3,920
10	Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNo formal educational credential	$47,510	$37,220 – $65,650	1,150
11	Highway Maintenance WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,070	$32,180 – $57,270	2,280
12	RoofersNo formal educational credential	$45,690	$32,180 – $61,340	2,110
13	Construction LaborersNo formal educational credential	$45,000	$34,910 – $59,990	26,250
14	Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and SteamfittersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$44,550	$34,620 – $49,720	1,100
15	Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNo formal educational credential	$43,230	$35,110 – $61,030	3,040
16	Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment OperatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,510	$36,300 – $60,300	1,730
17	Helpers--ElectriciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$39,710	$31,870 – $48,340	3,240

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

Metro areas in Tennessee

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

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

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

High paying construction jobs in Tennessee with no experience

More for Tennessee

Metro areas in Tennessee

By field in Tennessee

Without a degree

High paying construction jobs in each state with no experience