Pennsylvania Apprenticeship Programs
Pennsylvania runs one of the nation’s largest registered-apprenticeship system in the country — 48,000 active apprentices across 1,750 programs, with a 59.8% completion rate and wages that climb from $17 to $30.
- Active apprentices
- 48,000
- National rank
- #4 / 51
- Completion rate
- 59.8%
- Completion wage
- $30
Pennsylvania ranks #4 — among the largest of 51 jurisdictions by active registered apprentices — about 5.7% of all U.S. registered apprentices. Its 59.8% completion rate sits 1.6 pts above the 58.2% national average, and apprentices who finish raise their pay by 83% — from $17 to $30 an hour.
Where Pennsylvania sits among all 51 jurisdictions
Active registered apprentices by state (in thousands). Pennsylvania is marked in rose; most states cluster at the lower end while a few large states carry the bulk of enrollment.
Pennsylvania has active apprentices of 48k. Distribution: 26 states at 0-10k; 11 states at 10-20k; 6 states at 20-30k; 3 states at 30-40k; 2 states at 40-50k; 1 states at 50-60k; 0 states at 60-70k; 1 states at 70-80k; 1 states at 80-90k.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data, compiled by PlainWorkforce. Counts rounded to the nearest thousand.
Pennsylvania's largest registered-apprenticeship occupations, ranked by AI-exposure score — most sit well below the 37% occupation-wide average (the dotted line), which is exactly why the trades are AI-resilient. Bars link to the full occupation profile where tracked.
- Electrician 13%
- Plumber 27%
- Carpenter 28%
- Iron Worker —
- Pipefitter —
AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis of O*NET task data; the 37% line is the average across all 832 tracked occupations. Lower = more AI-resilient.
Pennsylvania vs. the national average
Frequently asked questions
How many apprentices does Pennsylvania have?
Pennsylvania has approximately 48,000 active registered apprentices across about 1,750 registered programs, ranking 4 of 51 U.S. jurisdictions by active enrollment (U.S. Department of Labor registered-apprenticeship data).
What is the apprenticeship completion rate in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's registered-apprenticeship completion rate is approximately 59.8%, 1.6 points above the 58.2% national average across all 51 jurisdictions.
How much do apprentices earn in Pennsylvania?
Registered apprentices in Pennsylvania start at around $17 per hour and earn approximately $30 per hour on completion — a 83% increase. Wages rise progressively as skills develop.
What are the top apprenticeship trades in Pennsylvania?
The most common registered-apprenticeship trades in Pennsylvania are Electrician, Plumber, Carpenter, Iron Worker, Pipefitter. Construction trades (electricians, plumbers, carpenters) dominate registered enrollment nationally.
Data sources: U.S. Department of Labor — Registered Apprenticeship (active apprentices, registered programs, completion rates, and wages by state); O*NET (occupation task data, for the linked AI-exposure scores). Compiled and formatted by PlainWorkforce. Enrollment and wage figures are rounded. See our methodology for how this data is sourced and computed.