Tree work compared with other outdoor and trade jobs: pay, openings, entry and injury notes

This page reports what the official sources say. It is not career advice and it does not say which job is better or whether anyone should change jobs. All figures are United States figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook. Pay is the median for May 2025, jobs are for 2025, and the outlook runs from 2025 to 2035. UK, Canadian and New Zealand profiles for tree work are on the guides to pay by country and career outlook.

Pay, jobs and outlook

Occupation	Pay and jobs	Outlook 2025 to 2035
Tree trimmers and pruners, 37-3013	Median US$24.50 an hour. 70,600 jobs.	73,600 jobs by 2035, up 3,000 or 4 percent.
Grounds maintenance workers, group 37-3000	Median US$19.27 an hour or US$40,080 a year. 1,299,200 jobs.	5 percent, faster than average. 162,500 openings a year.
Electrical power-line installers and repairers, 49-9051	Median US$45.83 an hour or US$95,320 a year. 131,900 jobs.	10 percent, much faster than average. 10,900 openings a year.
Construction equipment operators (O*NET 47-2073.00 covers operating engineers and others)	Median US$28.66 an hour or US$59,600 a year. 534,100 jobs.	4 percent, as fast as average. 42,500 openings a year.
Wind turbine service technicians, 49-9081	Median US$30.83 an hour or US$64,120 a year. 11,800 jobs.	30 percent, much faster than average. 1,500 openings a year.

The tree trimmer row comes from the table on the BLS grounds maintenance workers profile, last modified September 14, 2026. The profile lists tree trimmers and pruners as one of four detailed occupations in its employment table and prints no annual median for them alone.

Entry and training

Occupation	Entry and training as printed
Grounds maintenance, including tree trimmers	Typically no formal educational credential, trained on the job. Most states require licensing for workers who apply pesticides.
Power-line installers	High school diploma or equivalent. Long-term on-the-job training. Apprenticeships may last up to 3 years. A commercial driver's license usually for those who drive heavy vehicles.
Construction equipment operators	High school diploma or equivalent. Moderate-term on-the-job training. Some learn through a 3 or 4 year apprenticeship. A commercial driver's license is often needed to haul equipment.
Wind turbine technicians	Postsecondary nondegree award. Long-term on-the-job training. Certification is optional.

The BLS construction equipment operators profile, last modified August 27, 2026, covers four operator types: operating engineers and other equipment operators, paving and surfacing operators, tamping operators and pile driver operators. It says pile driver operators have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. It adds that some states and cities require pile driver operators to hold a crane license. The BLS wind turbine technicians profile, last modified August 27, 2026, says the work involves climbing ladders to the nacelle on towers more than 200 feet tall in a fall-protection harness, and rappelling down from the nacelle to repair blades. It has no injuries section.

Injury notes

Only two of the profiles make a ranking statement. The grounds maintenance profile says tree trimmers and pruners have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. The equipment operators profile says the same of pile driver operators. The power-line profile says its workers encounter serious hazards and may be electrocuted by a live high-voltage cable, and that safety procedures and training have reduced the danger. None of the three prints a rate.

One page for each trade compared

Tree work and power-line installer work compared: what the official profiles list

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Tree work and wind turbine technician work compared