Top Trades for Women in 2026: 12 Careers, Pay & How to Start

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Best Trades for Women at a Glance

These 12 trades provide a practical starting point for comparing pay, growth, and typical entry routes. The table uses national BLS wage and projection data, so treat it as a screening tool rather than a promise about local earnings, hiring, licensing, or training availability. Use the profiles below to test fit against actual programs and employers.

These are national figures, not promises about individual earnings or openings. Local pay, licensing, union coverage, experience, specialization, and overtime affect actual outcomes.

How We Selected These Trades

These trades are relevant to field and industrial work. We compared national pay, projected demand, accessible training routes, working conditions, employer breadth, and room to advance or build a business. This is an editorial framework, not a numerical score. No occupation is universally best, and local opportunities vary by location.

For readers seeking a list of skilled trades for females, these shared criteria support a direct comparison without turning gender into a job requirement.

Pay comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, using the 2025 OEWS release. It covers wage and salary workers and excludes self-employed workers and owners of unincorporated firms.

Outlook and entry routes come from BLS Employment Projections and occupation-specific Occupational Outlook Handbook pages.

The Top 12 Trades for Women in 2026

The profiles below apply one consistent comparison: daily work, national average pay, projected demand, typical preparation, working conditions, and practical questions about advancement. O*NET's Electricians profile is one representative DOL-sponsored route for task and work-context checks. These profiles do not assume that gender determines aptitude or fit. Before choosing a path, verify local licensing, approved training, schedules, safety requirements, and current job openings with programs and employers.

Electrician

Electricians install, maintain, and repair power, communications, lighting, and control systems. Work takes place in homes, commercial buildings, factories, and construction sites, both indoors and outdoors. The job includes travel, heights, and changing work locations.

• BLS lists 2025 OEWS national average annual pay of $71,490.

• Employment projections show 9% growth from 2024 to 2034.

• Most electricians learn through a four- or five-year apprenticeship after high school. Technical school offers another starting route. Verify with programs and employers which credentials and experience apply to journey-level work, master-electrician licensing where available, supervision, estimating, or project coordination.

Plumber

Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters install and repair piping systems in homes, commercial buildings, factories, and institutional facilities. The work includes tight spaces, ladders, outdoor conditions, and emergency callouts.

• National 2025 OEWS average annual pay was $72,170.

• The 2024-34 projection calls for 4% employment growth.

• Most entrants learn through a four- or five-year apprenticeship, including routes that follow vocational training. Confirm with programs and employers which licenses, hours, and business requirements apply to journey-level work, master plumbing, supervision, project management, or independent contracting.

Review current plumbing industry statistics for wider sector context.

HVAC technician

HVAC technicians install and service heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration systems. They move between equipment rooms, rooftops, homes, and commercial sites. Peak heating and cooling seasons bring overtime, irregular schedules, or emergency calls in roles with seasonal demand.

• The 2025 OEWS national average annual pay was $64,780.

• HVAC employment has an 8% outlook for 2024 to 2034.

• BLS classifies typical entry as a postsecondary nondegree award plus long-term on-the-job training. Apprenticeships provide a separate option. Ask employers how technicians progress into lead, controls, refrigeration, or supervisory work.

Welder

Welders join or cut metal parts used in manufacturing, construction, transportation, and repair. Assignments take place indoors, outdoors, or in confined areas. Protective equipment, ventilation, precise technique, and close attention to applicable safety procedures are essential parts of the work.

• For welders, 2025 OEWS national average annual pay was $56,760.

• BLS projects 2% employment growth from 2024 to 2034.

• Typical preparation combines a high school diploma with moderate-term on-the-job training. Technical schools and apprenticeships offer alternatives. One advancement track is not defined in the BLS welding profile. Compare specializations and employer-specific lead roles.

Carpenter

Carpenters construct, install, and repair building frameworks, structures, fixtures, and finishes. They work indoors and outdoors while standing, kneeling, lifting, or working in cramped areas. Weather affects outdoor assignments, and projects shift between job sites.

• Carpenters recorded 2025 OEWS national average annual pay of $65,630.

• Their 2024-34 employment outlook is 4% growth.

• For carpenters, BLS lists on-the-job learning or an apprenticeship after high school as preparation routes. Request the experience, credentials, licensing, and business preparation employers expect for lead work, supervision, independent contracting, or a later move into construction management.

Solar installer

Solar photovoltaic installers assemble support structures, mount panels, connect equipment, and troubleshoot systems. The job combines electrical and mechanical tasks. Installation work takes place outdoors and on roofs, so fall protection, weather, lifting, and travel require serious consideration.

• Solar installers had 2025 OEWS national average annual pay of $57,900.

• Projected employment growth reaches 42% from 2024 to 2034.

• A typical entry route starts with a high school diploma followed by moderate-term on-the-job training. Technical-school and apprenticeship pathways also exist. Compare employer requirements for senior installation work, crew leadership, technical specialization, or customer-facing roles, including the experience and added training needed.

Wind turbine technician

Wind turbine technicians inspect, maintain, and repair turbines. The role involves mechanical and electrical systems, climbing, outdoor travel, and work high above ground. Ability to follow safety procedures and work at height matters more than gender-based assumptions about body size or risk.

• Wind technicians earned 2025 OEWS national average annual pay of $68,980.

• BLS projects 50% growth from 2024 to 2034.

• Entry preparation includes a postsecondary nondegree award and long-term on-the-job training. Ask employers whether the role offers technical specialization, training responsibilities, or leadership paths.

Elevator installer and repairer

Elevator installers and repairers assemble, maintain, and fix elevators, escalators, lifts, and related equipment. The work involves machine rooms, cramped crawl spaces, elevator shafts, heights, heavy equipment, and on-call repair schedules.

• Elevator trade 2025 OEWS national average annual pay was $109,820, the highest figure in this 12-trade comparison.

• The occupation has 5% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034.

• Nearly all workers learn through an apprenticeship, with a four-year program as the standard route described by BLS. Verify the experience, examinations, and local licensing that programs and employers require for mechanic-in-charge, adjuster, or supervisory work.

Lineworker

Electrical power-line installers and repairers, commonly called lineworkers, install and repair electrical power lines and related equipment. They work outdoors in changing weather, at height, and during storm restoration. Safety rules, climbing, travel, and irregular emergency schedules are central considerations when evaluating the role.

• Lineworker 2025 OEWS national average annual pay was $91,970.

• The 2024-34 outlook is 7% employment growth.

• New lineworkers need a high school diploma plus long-term on-the-job training. BLS gives up to three years as an apprenticeship duration, not a universal program length. Compare the qualifications, experience, and performance standards that programs and employers require for supervisory or training responsibilities.

Industrial maintenance mechanic

Industrial machinery mechanics, one common industrial maintenance role, keep factory equipment and machinery operating. They inspect, diagnose, maintain, and repair production machinery, conveyors, and packaging equipment. The setting involves noise, moving equipment, protective gear, scheduled shutdowns, and urgent repairs.

• Industrial machinery mechanics recorded 2025 OEWS national average annual pay of $68,460.

• Their 2024-34 employment outlook is 16% growth.

• The BLS industrial machinery profile identifies a high school diploma with long-term on-the-job training as the typical entry route. No single advancement ladder appears in that profile. Compare employer pathways into advanced diagnostics, planning, or team leadership.

Sheet metal worker

Sheet metal workers fabricate or install products made from thin metal sheets, including ducts and building components. Shop work requires prolonged standing and material handling. Construction work involves bending, climbing, noise, dust, vibration, weather, and heights.

• Sheet metal workers had 2025 OEWS national average annual pay of $67,850.

• BLS gives the occupation 2% projected growth from 2024 to 2034.

• Preparation differs by setting: BLS maps apprenticeships to construction entrants and on-the-job or technical-school training to manufacturing entrants. No single promotion ladder appears in the BLS sheet metal profile. Compare paths in layout, fabrication, installation, and supervision.

Heavy equipment operator

Heavy equipment operators drive and control machinery used to build roads, bridges, buildings, and other structures. Within this broader BLS group, operating engineers and other construction equipment operators are one representative detailed occupation. Work takes place outdoors and involves rough terrain, noise, dust, and seasonal schedules.

• For the BLS construction equipment operator group, 2025 OEWS national average annual pay was $65,770.

• Equipment-operator employment projections show 4% group growth from 2024 to 2034.

• Documented entry routes include on-the-job learning after high school, apprenticeship, and vocational school, according to BLS. Its equipment operator profile does not list one advancement route. Employers set qualification paths for additional equipment, grades, and lead duties.

Why More Women Are Entering the Trades

BLS counted 370,000 women and 8.15 million men among 8.52 million workers in construction and extraction occupations in 2024. These occupation counts show the scale of representation, not the number of women entering training. They also do not describe every trade or workplace. Registered Apprenticeship data provides a separate trend measure.

DOL recorded slightly more than 92,500 active female apprentices in fiscal year 2023, up 15% from 2022. Women remained under 15% of the active Registered Apprenticeship System.

Electrician and carpenter were among the occupations with the highest numbers of active female apprentices in that report. Participation does not describe every workplace or occupation. Compare program quality, respectful supervision, safety equipment, schedules, local demand, and complaint processes.

How Women Can Start a Career in the Trades

1. Choose two or three occupations to compare: Review daily tasks, locations, physical demands, schedules, travel, safety procedures, and advancement routes.

2. Compare training routes: Ask whether an apprenticeship, trade school or employer program leads to paid work, required hours, a recognized credential or a state license before paying.

3. Verify certifications and licensing: Requirements differ by occupation and location. Use the responsible state or local agency to separate mandatory licenses and certifications from optional credentials.

4. Search for registered apprenticeships: Apprenticeship.gov explains the career-seeker process and provides a job finder for available opportunities.

5. Evaluate the complete offer: Request details about pay progression, classroom hours, tools, protective equipment, travel, overtime, benefits, supervision, and the credential earned.

6. Speak with tradespeople and apply: Ask what a normal week looks like and which entry route they used. Include relevant classes, hands-on projects, safety training, mechanical experience, licenses, and dependable work examples in your application.

6 Tips for Women in Trades

Use these six practices to compare safety, pay, workplace expectations and advancement without relying on stereotypes. They complement registered-apprenticeship guidance and help you judge employers, document progress and plan your next qualification. Use them to turn advice into specific questions before you choose a program, employer or next training step.

1. Treat safety as part of job quality

Ask how the employer handles training, protective equipment sizing, hazard reporting, travel, weather, lifting, confined spaces, and work at height. A clear process matters more than a broad promise about safety culture.

2. Track your competencies

Keep a record of completed classroom hours, equipment training, job tasks, licenses, certifications, and supervisor sign-offs. An organized skills record supports apprenticeship milestones, job applications, and future specialization.

3. Build a practical network

Talk with instructors, journey workers, union or association contacts, inspectors, suppliers, and people in related trades. Ask precise questions about hiring cycles, program quality, job conditions, and useful prerequisites in your area.

4. Learn the pay structure

National average annual pay is only a benchmark. Find out how local employers set apprentice steps, overtime, travel pay, tool costs, benefits, and raises. Compare the complete package and the requirements attached to each step.

5. Set workplace boundaries

Confirm schedules, on-call duties, travel expectations, communication channels, and escalation procedures before problems arise. Document important instructions and raise safety or conduct concerns through the workplace process.

6. Plan your next qualification

Look beyond the first role. Identify the license, equipment authorization, specialization, journey status, supervisory experience, or business knowledge needed for the next stage. Review the plan each year as your interests and local opportunities change.

From Apprentice to Owner

Business ownership is one possible destination after a trade career, not the required definition of success. Treat it as a separate professional transition that needs technical credibility, market knowledge, capital, and operating discipline. Before committing, investigate the rules for licensing, insurance, taxes, employment, contracts, and safety where the business will operate.

Future owners also need experience estimating work, scheduling people and equipment, documenting jobs, managing cash flow, and communicating with customers. Test the idea with a written business plan and qualified local guidance. Do not treat national wage figures as owner-income forecasts because the BLS wage methodology excludes self-employed workers and owners of unincorporated firms.

Former commercial plumbing business owner Amy Carnrick offers a first-hand view of entering the trades as an owner. In a Simpro interview, she explains that she bought the company without prior commercial-plumbing experience, overbooked her crew during her first year and once joined them to dig a ditch. She describes the work as rewarding and encourages women considering the trades to pursue the opportunity. Her account is one owner's experience, not proof that any trade suits every woman.

If you later move from skilled tradesperson to owner, evaluate whether field service management software fits the needs and stage of your business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best trade for a female?

For a balance of pay, growth and an apprenticeship route, start by comparing electrician: $71,490 in 2025 average annual pay and 9% projected growth through 2034. If income leads your decision, compare elevator installation at $109,820. If demand matters most, compare wind turbine technician at 50% growth and solar installer at 42%.

What trade makes $100,000 a year?

Elevator installation and repair is the clearest $100,000 trade in this comparison. BLS reports $109,820 in 2025 national average annual pay, the only one of these 12 occupations above $100,000 on that measure. Lineworker remains below that threshold at $91,970. These are occupation averages, not starting salaries or guarantees.

What is a good trade for a 40 year old woman?

Industrial maintenance mechanic is worth comparing for a career change at 40. Its entry route is a high school diploma plus long-term on-the-job training, with $68,460 in 2025 average annual pay and 16% growth. HVAC is another option at $64,780 and 8% growth, with a postsecondary nondegree award and long-term training.

Which trades have entry routes that do not require a four-year degree?

Six trades in this comparison have entry routes that do not require a bachelor's degree. BLS training data lists apprenticeship for electricians and plumbers. The table lists high school plus on-the-job training for heavy equipment operators and solar installers. It lists a postsecondary nondegree award for HVAC and wind technicians. Local licensing rules still apply.

Which trades in this guide have shorter training routes?

Compare solar installation and welding first because BLS assigns both moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS projections data places HVAC, wind, linework and industrial maintenance in long-term training categories, while five profiles commonly use apprenticeships. Heavy equipment operation also lists on-the-job training. These categories describe typical preparation, not a guaranteed completion date.

Where can someone find local trade apprenticeships and entry-level openings?

Start with the Apprenticeship.gov Job Finder, which lets career seekers search Registered Apprenticeship opportunities by occupation and location. Then compare union, contractor, community-college and state workforce-board programs. Before applying, check the required credential, starting wage, paid training, schedule and deadline. Availability and licensing requirements vary by state and trade.