What do the trades pay in Tennessee?
Median hourly pay, May 20251. Pick a trade for training, pay and the license.
Electrician
Wiring, panels and fixtures
$29.37/hrTennessee median
Plumber
Water, drain and gas lines
$28.17/hrTennessee median
HVAC tech
Heating, cooling and ductwork
$26.68/hrTennessee median
Roofer
New roofs and repairs
$21.97/hrTennessee median
General contractor
Runs the job and the crews
$35.81/hrTennessee median, construction supervisors
Is there work in Tennessee?
Construction jobs in Tennessee, September 2026: 167,600, up 0.5% from a year earlier.
BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026New homes permitted in Tennessee, September 2026: 4,535, up 31.6% from a year earlier.
Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026People working in these five trades in Tennessee: 55,960.
BLS OEWS, May 2025Who licenses contractors in Tennessee?
Tennessee licenses general contractors and the electrical, plumbing, HVAC and roofing trades at the state level.2
State board TN Board for Licensing Contractors (Commerce & Insurance)
- ElectricalState license
- PlumbingState license
- HVACState license
- RoofingState license
- General contractorState license
Check a Tennessee contractor
Search the license on the board's own site.
Miss a date, lose the lien
- Notice: a separate deadline, usually early in the job, in states that require one.
- Lien filing: counted from your last work or from completion of the project.
- Suit to enforce: a second deadline, counted from the lien filing or your last work.
Training near you
Apprentices are hired first and paid while they learn on the job and in class. Trade school comes first and charges tuition.
Where to train and find work near you
Union locals take apprenticeship applications and send members out to union contractors. Open-shop chapters run apprenticeship classes for the people their member contractors hire.
IBEW union locals
- IBEW Local 175Chattanooga(423) 894-3557
- IBEW Local 270Oak Ridge(865) 483-1354
- IBEW Local 429Nashville(615) 889-4429
- IBEW Local 474Memphis(901) 726-4060
- IBEW Local 760Knoxville(865) 524-8638
- IBEW Local 934Kingsport(423) 323-5411
2 more IBEW locals
- IBEW Local 1925Martin(731) 587-3457
- IBEW Local 558Office in Sheffield, AL(256) 383-2279
Electrical training centers (JATCs)
- Tri-Cities Area JATCP.O. Box 388, Blountville(423) 323-5411
- Chattanooga Electrical JATC3924 Volunteer Drive, Chattanooga(423) 894-9053
- Electrician Training Academy Knoxville (ETAK)6107 Central Avenue Pike, Knoxville(865) 379-6214
- LU 1925 IBEW402 Jackson Street, Martin(731) 587-3457
- Memphis Electrical JATC1670 Century Center Pkwy, Memphis(901) 386-2301
- Nashville Electrical JATC310 Fesslers Lane, Nashville(615) 242-9950
1 more centers
- Oak Ridge Electrical JATCP.O. Box 4968, Oak Ridge(865) 483-9955
IEC chapters (open shop)
- IEC Middle Tennessee401 Old Hickory Blvd Nashville(615) 894-7111
- Mid-South IEC2801 Stage Center Drive Bartlett(901) 682-3546
- IEC Las Vegas450 Rev Kelly M Smith Way, Nashville(703) 549-7351
- Triangle IEC450 Rev Kelly M Smith Way, Nashville(703) 549-7351
UA union locals
- UA Local 17Memphis(901) 368-0900
- UA Local 43Chattanooga(423) 698-6991
- UA Local 102Knoxville(865) 523-7413
- UA Local 538Johnson City(423) 928-5751
- UA Local 572Nashville(615) 262-0893
- UA Local 614Arlington(901) 386-8166
2 more UA locals
- UA Local 702Madison(615) 913-6734
- UA Local 718Oak Ridge(865) 574-0235
Training
UA apprenticeships run through a joint committee of the local and union contractors. Call the local for the next application date.
PHCC chapters
- Tennessee PHCC1000 Dutch Valley DR Ste B, Knoxville(865) 531-7422
- PHCC of Chattanooga1820 E 23rd St, Chattanooga(423) 622-3178
- PHCC of KnoxvillePO Box 52191, Knoxville(865) 588-0180
- PHCC of Middle Tennesseec/o Merryman-Farr, LLC, 305 Hill Ave Ste A, Nashville(615) 254-8050
SMART union locals
- SMART Local 4Memphis(901) 278-7288
- SMART Local 5Knoxville(865) 689-2928
- SMART Local 177Nashville(615) 292-0587
- SMART Local 555Knoxville(423) 737-7962
Sheet metal training centers
- Chattanooga Area JATC3109 Curtis St., Chattanooga(423) 629-9661
- Knoxville Area JATC4300 Papermill Dr NW, Knoxville(865) 689-2928
- Memphis JATC6735 Whitten Place, Memphis(901) 569-4026
- Nashville Sheet Metal JATC4709 Alabama Ave., Nashville(615) 292-0587
PHCC chapters (heating, cooling, plumbing)
- Tennessee PHCC1000 Dutch Valley DR Ste B, Knoxville(865) 531-7422
- PHCC of Chattanooga1820 E 23rd St, Chattanooga(423) 622-3178
- PHCC of KnoxvillePO Box 52191, Knoxville(865) 588-0180
- PHCC of Middle Tennesseec/o Merryman-Farr, LLC, 305 Hill Ave Ste A, Nashville(615) 254-8050
ACCA member contractors near you
Pipefitters and HVAC service techs also apprentice through the UA: UA locals in Tennessee.
Carpenters union locals
- Carpenters Local 50Oak Ridge
- Carpenters Local 74Hixson
- Carpenters Local 223LaVERGNE
- Carpenters Local 345Cordova
- Carpenters Local 1554LaVERGNE
Training
Union carpentry apprenticeships run through the regional council's training centers. Carpenters regional council finder
Home builder associations
- HBA of Tennessee213 Rep John Lewis Way N Ste 200, Nashville
- HBA of Middle Tennessee9007 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood(615) 377-1055
- HBA of Greater Chattanooga3221 Harrison Pike, Chattanooga(423) 624-9992
- Clarksville-Montgomery Cty. HBAPO Box 1167, Clarksville(931) 503-1194
- Ocoee Region BA1615 Lois St SE, Cleveland(423) 667-5760
- West Tennessee Home Builders Association505 Halle Park Dr, Collierville(901) 756-4500
6 more chapters
- HBA of Upper CumberlandPO Box 243, Cookeville(931) 528-7472
- Cumberland County Home Builders223 Grove Loop, Crossville(931) 484-9097
- Johnson City Area HBA207 N Boone St, Johnson City(423) 282-2561
- HBA of Greater Kingsport1200 E Sevier Ave, Kingsport(423) 378-5501
- HBA of Greater Knoxville221 Clark St, Knoxville(865) 546-4665
- Home Building Association of Central Tennessee315 N Walnut St, Murfreesboro(615) 956-6465
Roofers union locals
No Roofers local has its office in Tennessee. Search the Roofers union website.
Training
Roofers locals run their apprenticeship through a joint committee with union contractors.
Contractor associations
The national trade group for roofing contractors is the National Roofing Contractors Association.
Trade schools: where to apply
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Knoxville1100 Liberty Street, Knoxville
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Morristown821 W Louise Ave, Morristown
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology Nashville100 White Bridge Pike, Nashville
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Oneida-Huntsville355 Scott High Drive, Huntsville
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Dickson740 Hwy 46, Dickson
- Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Murfreesboro1303 Old Fort Pky, Murfreesboro
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Tennessee, May 2025 (bls.gov, May 2025)
- TN Board for Licensing Contractors (Commerce & Insurance) (tn.gov)
- Tennessee lien statute (lexisnexis.com)
- U.S. Department of Labor, apprenticeship.gov registered apprenticeship partners (apprenticeship.gov)
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard (field of study and institution data) (collegescorecard.ed.gov)
- BLS Current Employment Statistics, Sep 2026 (bls.gov)
- Census Building Permits Survey, Sep 2026 (census.gov)