> This general topic about trade workers pops up on HN periodically and there is always some discussion about high-earning people working in the trades. But I c

> This general topic about trade workers pops up on HN periodically and there is always some discussion about high-earning people working in the trades. But I can't find any data that actually supports this statement - the BLS numbers tell a story that plumbers and electricians make almost exactly the median income that full-time, year-round workers in the US earn. That's because high earning tradespeople are typically not wage earners. They operate their own companies.