Having grown up in a rural area, I assure you that any unions or health coverage is a strictly urban phenomenon. And $80k isn't all that great of a top-end, for people living in major cities with their cost of living.
I did some quick lookups from BLS and other salary sources for my (mid sized southern US MSA) sometime back and yeah the median and mean wages for a lot of skilled labor and trade positions are pretty damn close to what a lot of clerical type office jobs were paying. I.E. not great, probably livable. I’ll see if I can go back through and find my comment.
This thread is about saving up to buy a house in a city though.
jman plumber in my town earns $47/hr+$32/hr in benefits. Not bad total comp especially if you add in OT.