Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Median $62,780
Occupation · SOC 47-2211
Sheet Metal Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What sheet metal workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$61,800 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $67,850
- Median hourly wage
- $29.71
- Mean hourly wage
- $32.62
- Employment
- 119,770
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2211.
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See where your pay falls among sheet metal workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do sheet metal workers make?
The median annual wage for sheet metal workers was $61,800 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $38,630 and the highest-paid 10% more than $105,650. As an hourly rate, the median is $29.71. About 119,770 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Washington ($98,550), Hawaii ($96,350) and Alaska ($94,600). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for sheet metal workers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,630 | $18.57 | $3,219 | $2,768 |
| 25th percentile | $47,830 | $22.99 | $3,986 | $3,384 |
| Median | $61,800 | $29.71 | $5,150 | $4,320 |
| 75th percentile | $81,610 | $39.24 | $6,801 | $5,520 |
| 90th percentile | $105,650 | $50.79 | $8,804 | $6,930 |
Sheet Metal Workers: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$73,379 take-home in national prices
2
$71,760 take-home in national prices
3
$65,658 take-home in national prices
Where a median sheet metal worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 3,440 | $98,550 | $57,650 | $149,260 | $76,793 | $71,760 |
| Hawaii | 490 | $96,350 | $52,730 | $118,960 | $70,703 | $64,304 |
| Alaska | 240 | $94,600 | $49,300 | $116,580 | $75,110 | $73,379 |
| New Jersey | 2,790 | $92,840 | $46,290 | $130,630 | $69,839 | $64,187 |
| Illinois | 3,260 | $86,630 | $42,220 | $117,910 | $65,631 | $65,658 |
| Massachusetts | 2,890 | $82,100 | $46,440 | $121,050 | $62,325 | $58,932 |
| Connecticut | 1,480 | $78,750 | $49,780 | $93,940 | $60,256 | $58,156 |
| Wisconsin | 3,180 | $77,760 | $45,160 | $107,060 | $60,427 | $64,219 |
| California | 8,390 | $76,590 | $47,410 | $132,190 | $58,814 | $53,119 |
| Ohio | 4,180 | $74,790 | $43,200 | $94,240 | $59,832 | $64,492 |
| New York | 6,570 | $73,760 | $40,330 | $126,090 | $56,984 | $52,802 |
| Oregon | 3,250 | $73,750 | $48,150 | $120,600 | $55,301 | $53,503 |
| Minnesota | 2,980 | $72,970 | $47,520 | $116,990 | $56,405 | $57,193 |
| West Virginia | 540 | $72,390 | $38,170 | $76,020 | $57,330 | $64,058 |
| Iowa | 1,650 | $66,460 | $43,770 | $91,450 | $53,707 | $61,196 |
| Oklahoma | 2,820 | $65,640 | $46,000 | $79,090 | $52,513 | $59,781 |
| North Dakota | 290 | $65,180 | $48,080 | $84,740 | $54,540 | $61,310 |
| Rhode Island | 370 | $65,100 | $42,670 | $81,980 | $51,947 | $50,789 |
| Michigan | 4,000 | $64,490 | $40,940 | $96,390 | $51,508 | $53,533 |
| Nebraska | 440 | $64,440 | $32,140 | $94,980 | $51,905 | $57,606 |
| Indiana | 4,580 | $64,040 | $42,620 | $104,080 | $51,776 | $55,477 |
| Missouri | 2,640 | $63,560 | $38,090 | $110,580 | $51,200 | $56,378 |
| Utah | 1,810 | $63,140 | $44,360 | $85,770 | $50,485 | $51,065 |
| Kansas | 1,730 | $62,670 | $38,690 | $108,530 | $49,838 | $55,334 |
| Maryland | 1,940 | $62,560 | $46,800 | $84,650 | $49,841 | $47,487 |
| Maine | 830 | $62,120 | $47,930 | $75,490 | $49,268 | $50,765 |
| Delaware | 440 | $61,460 | $37,290 | $85,790 | $48,583 | $48,677 |
| Montana | 410 | $61,420 | $44,310 | $84,220 | $49,401 | $52,196 |
| Pennsylvania | 3,260 | $61,400 | $45,660 | $126,430 | $49,587 | $50,821 |
| Kentucky | 2,210 | $60,680 | $40,570 | $85,310 | $48,930 | $54,271 |
| New Hampshire | 760 | $59,800 | $34,170 | $79,930 | $50,229 | $48,221 |
| Tennessee | 1,850 | $59,170 | $38,710 | $79,360 | $49,723 | $54,123 |
| Wyoming | 160 | $58,740 | $42,350 | $72,400 | $49,378 | $53,271 |
| Vermont | 370 | $58,250 | $42,920 | $82,940 | $47,466 | $48,456 |
| Colorado | 1,660 | $57,880 | $43,780 | $83,550 | $46,594 | $45,214 |
| Georgia | 3,590 | $56,800 | $38,820 | $76,900 | $45,733 | $47,494 |
| New Mexico | 640 | $56,720 | $36,410 | $84,690 | $46,254 | $50,161 |
| Texas | 9,540 | $54,240 | $37,010 | $78,400 | $45,762 | $47,149 |
| Virginia | 4,520 | $52,220 | $37,440 | $73,640 | $41,950 | $41,492 |
| North Carolina | 2,780 | $50,730 | $37,280 | $78,020 | $41,426 | $43,918 |
| Louisiana | 1,080 | $50,320 | $34,650 | $77,790 | $41,489 | $47,036 |
| Arizona | 3,060 | $50,260 | $36,350 | $80,750 | $41,701 | $41,421 |
| South Carolina | 1,710 | $49,920 | $37,090 | $76,300 | $41,296 | $44,050 |
| Florida | 8,040 | $49,640 | $36,140 | $71,740 | $42,066 | $40,677 |
| Mississippi | 1,260 | $49,500 | $36,560 | $70,630 | $40,705 | $46,813 |
| South Dakota | 320 | $47,800 | $38,420 | $86,780 | $40,587 | $45,817 |
| Alabama | 1,450 | $47,530 | $35,510 | $71,270 | $38,410 | $43,243 |
| Nevada | 1,270 | $46,730 | $38,120 | $121,730 | $39,728 | $39,736 |
| Idaho | 1,290 | $46,350 | $36,340 | $78,470 | $38,074 | $39,871 |
| Arkansas | 1,230 | $45,820 | $35,800 | $57,380 | $37,789 | $43,467 |
| Guam | 140 | $37,770 | $23,030 | $45,290 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 210 | $28,340 | $21,840 | $33,450 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2211. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.