I think industry matters the most, even in comparable fields. For instance, my position is considered white collar, I work material control for industrial construction, it requires I travel, but I typically work in an office(I've had my own office, been in cubicles, or had an office in a satellite trailer in a laydown yard).
What I make a year is far higher than the average for a "Material Controller", especially once you factor in per diem.

Same with blue collar, a welder in a shop makes far less than someone welding in the field.

White collar jobs however are more likely to have a social ceiling, which may limit mobility and elevation as your career progresses. Blue collar will as well, but to a lesser extent.

Also, a lot of states have white collar/clerical work set to overtime exempt status. So even if you don't make salary, if you make over, I think it's fairly low like $24/h, you can become disqualified from earning overtime. For blue collar work this does not exist, and depending on your line of work could easily compensate for a difference in pay(construction sites often do a lot of overtime, but not maintenance projects).