16 Examples of Blue Collar Jobs to Consider in 2025

An occupation can be described as blue-collar, white-collar, red collar, gold collar, or pink collar. Blue collar work is a skilled trade often performed by men. The term blue collar refers to the fact that in most of these trades, people wear blue collars, think police officer, for instance. For these roles, you'd often complete an associate degree, apprenticeship program, or trade school program. The jobs on this list have a high earning potential depending on your experience level and place of employment.

16 Examples of Blue Collar Jobs

1. Robotics Technician

The robotics industry is set to explode in the coming years. Getting into the industry as a robotics technician can allow you to get practical experience programming robotics equipment, troubleshooting systems, installing robotics systems and equipment, maintaining records of fixes and issues, repairing robots, modifying the movements of a robot, and more. In some cases, you can get a job as a robotics technician with only a high school diploma. However, more and more jobs are starting to ask for an associate's degree in robotics technician. You can find an online, on your own pace robotics technician program at George Brown College.

Annual salary: $69, 993

2. Police Officer

A blue-collar job you might consider if you believe in making the world a bit safer for the people living in it is a police officer. In your role as an officer, you'll help prevent crimes, help victims in crisis situations, arrest and interview suspects, testify and provide evidence in court, deliver warrants, provide an emergency response to respond to 911 calls, patrol neighborhoods, help manage traffic during power outages, investigate accidents, and more. A police officer needs to have a high school diploma. In some cases, they'll ask for CPR and First Aid. You may need a college program in Police Foundations.

Annual salary: $67,018

3. Firefighter

Firefighters are blue collar workers that fight fires, rescue victims from fires, conduct fire safety inspections, educate students on fire safety, provide first response in an emergency, administer first aid or medical treatment, clean and maintain fire equipment, provide support in a disaster, perform rescue missions, write reports on incidents, and more. While you don't need a formal education to work as a firefighter, you will need a specialized driver's license, have a high school diploma, be over the age of 18, and have a clean criminal record. You might also need to pass physical examinations as this job requires the ability to lift others, climb stairs, and more.

Annual salary: $55,287

4. Elevator Technician

People in blue-collar lines of work that live in big cities might be drawn to elevator technician roles, particularly if their city has a lot of high rises. These jobs generally require you to install, maintain, and repair elevators. In most condos and office buildings, elevator breakdowns are common due to the number of people using them every day. You are required to ensure that not only are the elevators in working order but that they're safe to be used. Ensuring that the elevators are compliant to the current standards will help you keep residents or employees safe when riding the elevator to their rooms or offices. To get a job as an elevator technician, you might be required to complete some courses in elevator construction. This role often entails a four-five year apprenticeship prior to embarking on this career path. But if you're looking to earn six figures this may be your gig.

Average salary: $104,229

5. Mechanic

Mechanic and technicians in the automotive industry might enjoy high-paying salaries while in the labor force. These jobs often require duties like diagnosing and fixing automotive problems, testing vehicles, assembling mechanical parts, logging details to maintain accurate records, and more. College graduates of an automotive or mechanic program can pursue an apprenticeship to obtain the required on-the-job training to become highly skilled in their craft to eventually work as a mechanic full-time at an automotive shop.

Average salary: $42,803

6. Plumber

A plumber performs manual labor in homes and offices when it comes to issues revolving plumbing. In this role, you'll do things like install pipes and tubes, repair and replace broken plumbing parts, do tests to determine leaks, install and replace water heaters, and some administrative work regarding quotes and cost estimates. To become a plumber, you'll need to complete about a four-five year apprenticeship. Some college programs offer on-the-job training with classroom instruction to help you learn the foundations of plumbing.

Average salary: $65,811

7. Construction Worker

A construction worker is a blue-collar worker working in a busy and abundant industry. Finding a construction job can be relatively easy, even with minimal experience. In this line of work, you'll lay concrete or ashphalt, dig trenches, construct scaffolding or other things, both load and unload materials, demolish old or unsafe structures, operate power tools, read and interpret blueprints, follow safety regulations, and more. You need a high school diploma to work in construction in many cases. Some jobs on the job site might require specialized certifications. You might choose to take a college program in carpentry or similar programs. There are opportunities for unskilled labor with minimal education needed to enter the workforce. An apprenticeship may be required to work in certain positions, whether completed or active. 

Annual salary: $51,200

8. Furniture Assembler

If you're looking to do some physical work in an indoor environment that hires unskilled labor, you might choose to become a furniture assembler. A furniture assembler will often go to people's new homes or a company's new office to assemble furniture for them quickly so they can enjoy their space. Many people buy do-it-yourself furniture only to struggle to put everything together when the parts arrive. A furniture assembler will troubleshoot or repair potentially broken parts, they'll assemble do-it-yourself furniture for you, some may help load and unload depending on what task you're hiring them for, they might help polish or wax surface depending on if it's scratched, or help tidy up the area after the furniture is assembled. There is no college program required for these jobs. You can do on-the-job training for this type of work. Many people find opportunities through task sites or third-party companies that involve manual labor like this. Being self-employed in this line of work isn't uncommon.

Average salary: $41,028

9. Welder

A blue-collar job you might consider is a welder. In this role, you'll be involved in welding pieces together. You might have to act as an inspector by inspecting structures prior to welding them. You'll have to maintain welding equipment to keep them in good working order. You may be in charge of repairing machinery as well. To work as a welder, you'll only need a high school diploma and possibly some additional math or physics courses to do the job. There are welding programs that you can complete as part of a college or vocational training.

Average salary: $39,000

10. Concrete Finisher

A concrete finisher is a blue-collar job you should consider if you prefer manual labor. In this role, you'll pour concrete into forms or on surfaces. You may have to fill hollows and smooth out concrete after it's been freshly poured. Using power tools to finish concrete surfaces is part of the work you'll be doing. You might even need to install anchor bolts or other fixtures as soon as the concrete is poured. You'll often be involved in repairing damaged floors, walls, roads, or other structures made of concrete. A concrete finisher often needs to complete a mix of on-the-job-training alongside in-school training.

Annual salary: $40,950

11. Contractor

A blue-collar worker might choose a career as a contractor if they're more extroverted in nature. In this role, you'll meet with clients to determine their needs for projects while answering any questions they may have. You might spend some time providing advice and giving your input on how something should be done. You may be involved in creating timelines and budgets for them. You might even hire subcontractors to help with the work. You'll typically work on a construction site or house that's being renovated. To work in this field, you'll need a high school diploma, a completed apprenticeship from a trade school, and a specialization in which trade you'll be a contractor in.

Average salary: $41,881

12. Postal worker

A blue-collar job you might enjoy if you're more introverted is postal worker. You'll need to drive to different mailboxes and deliver letters and packages to businesses and homes. On your route, you would also collect mail to be delivered back to the main post office to be delivered. You might be involved in sorting mail in order of delivery sequence. In most cases, a high school diploma is required for this type of job. In some cases, further schooling, such as a college degree might be required. Some may require a formal examination or a criminal background check before hiring someone in this type of blue-collar work.

Annual salary: $65,160

13. Truck driver

Many blue-collar jobs require specialized training. In this case, to become a truck driver, you'll need a specialized driver's license to ship goods locally or internationally. In this job, you'll transport goods from one company to another. You may even have to transport hazardous materials. You'll maintain logbooks and delivery notes. You may have to know how to repair your own vehicle if you're stranded somewhere. Once the shipment reaches it's destination, you'll either load or unload cargo. Because you'll be on the road driving a lot, you'll need to be a licensed and safe driver. Other than that, most of the formal education is regarding your ability to drive a truck rather than a formal college degree.

Annual salary: $96,516

14. Custodian

A custodian is a popular blue collar job where workers often get to spend some time alone. If you prefer an introverted job, this one may be for you. The work involves dusting, sweeping, and vacuuming. Beyond this, you might take out the garbage and recycling. Since washrooms can be highly unsanitary, you'll be involved in the cleaning of them. You might need to wash mirrors or windows. Dusting offices or waxing furniture might be something you do depending on where you work as a custodian. You might be involved in hiring other custodians to clean workspaces. This work is often associated with lower salaries as you don't need a formal education to do it. You might need a high school diploma, but in most cases you'll be able to work in this type of role quite easily.

Annual salary: $39,913

15. Boilermaker

Boilermakers are blue collar workers. In this role, they might install a boiler in a facility. They might be involved in testing them, assembling them, and repairing them. This boiler installer will also be involved in the cleaning of pressure vessel equipment. You might have to shape or fabricate parts. Welding might also be part of your job as you weld metal sections together. Installing valves, trays, and strainers is often part of the job description. A three to four-year apprenticeship is often required to become a boilermaker. And some college programs in boilermaking may be a necessary pre-requisitte to enter this skilled labor job market.

Average salary: $63,960

16. Nuclear Power Plant Operator

Nuclear power plant operators are blue-collar workers that earn six figures like you often seen in white-collar jobs. That's because to work in this job, you need to go to a community college to complete a two-year power engineering, electrical, or instrumentation program. In your job, you'll be involved with controlling and monitoring the nuclear reactor. You'll also control and monitor the equipment to ensure it's safe. Finally, you'll also be involved in controlling the nuclear fuel.

Annual salary: $120,350

Conclusion

Jobs in blue-collar may require more physical labor than a white-collar job. However, the blue-collar workforce helps handle many of the urgent and necessary work of today's society. Whether it's protecting citizens or maintaining roads, blue-collar occupations allow cities to thrive. To start building your resume to land a blue-collar job, sign up for Huntr today.