Sheet Metal Workers
Median $61,800
Occupation · SOC 47-2221
Structural Iron and Steel Workers: pay and where the jobs are
What structural iron and steel workers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$62,780 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $70,280
- Median hourly wage
- $30.18
- Mean hourly wage
- $33.79
- Employment
- 68,380
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2221.
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See where your pay falls among structural iron and steel workers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do structural iron and steel workers make?
The median annual wage for structural iron and steel workers was $62,780 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44,580 and the highest-paid 10% more than $108,260. As an hourly rate, the median is $30.18. About 68,380 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Massachusetts ($120,840), New Jersey ($113,220) and Washington ($107,660). Massachusetts also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for structural iron and steel 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 | $44,580 | $21.43 | $3,715 | $3,167 |
| 25th percentile | $49,880 | $23.98 | $4,157 | $3,522 |
| Median | $62,780 | $30.18 | $5,232 | $4,385 |
| 75th percentile | $82,660 | $39.74 | $6,888 | $5,582 |
| 90th percentile | $108,260 | $52.05 | $9,022 | $7,083 |
Structural Iron and Steel 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
$82,702 take-home in national prices
2
$77,631 take-home in national prices
3
$76,092 take-home in national prices
Where a median structural iron and steel worker paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 2,050 | $120,840 | $82,760 | $128,080 | $87,463 | $82,702 |
| New Jersey | 1,060 | $113,220 | $94,000 | $130,710 | $82,792 | $76,092 |
| Washington | 850 | $107,660 | $53,210 | $128,970 | $83,075 | $77,631 |
| Illinois | 2,740 | $101,850 | $64,830 | $124,450 | $75,585 | $75,616 |
| Hawaii | 290 | $99,860 | $53,970 | $121,680 | $72,906 | $66,308 |
| Rhode Island | 360 | $98,320 | $65,500 | $98,330 | $73,846 | $72,200 |
| Oregon | 570 | $96,050 | $52,630 | $120,860 | $69,023 | $66,778 |
| Minnesota | 910 | $95,320 | $80,030 | $99,010 | $70,510 | $71,496 |
| Wisconsin | 710 | $92,820 | $58,150 | $100,160 | $70,128 | $74,528 |
| New York | 2,700 | $92,610 | $59,140 | $129,180 | $69,126 | $64,053 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,610 | $82,970 | $51,550 | $110,680 | $64,594 | $66,202 |
| North Dakota | 270 | $82,120 | $57,410 | $99,840 | $66,259 | $74,483 |
| Missouri | 1,320 | $77,410 | $48,650 | $89,350 | $60,587 | $66,713 |
| Iowa | Not published | $77,400 | $59,120 | $81,240 | $60,992 | $69,496 |
| Alaska | 120 | $76,970 | $65,990 | $99,980 | $62,707 | $61,262 |
| California | 7,110 | $76,370 | $47,480 | $118,030 | $58,679 | $52,998 |
| Ohio | 2,290 | $74,710 | $47,840 | $88,860 | $59,777 | $64,433 |
| Idaho | 500 | $72,750 | $49,780 | $80,140 | $57,262 | $59,964 |
| West Virginia | 150 | $71,850 | $50,620 | $80,200 | $56,975 | $63,661 |
| Maryland | 710 | $71,730 | $47,790 | $82,160 | $56,251 | $53,593 |
| Indiana | 2,750 | $70,130 | $45,720 | $98,840 | $56,127 | $60,139 |
| Louisiana | 1,180 | $68,830 | $39,130 | $80,560 | $55,573 | $63,003 |
| Montana | 130 | $67,390 | $47,880 | $75,690 | $53,792 | $56,836 |
| Nebraska | 610 | $65,470 | $48,160 | $79,040 | $52,686 | $58,473 |
| Kentucky | 990 | $64,060 | $48,240 | $98,360 | $51,528 | $57,152 |
| Michigan | 1,750 | $62,830 | $41,260 | $79,150 | $50,244 | $52,220 |
| Nevada | 1,400 | $62,510 | $46,560 | $103,770 | $52,407 | $52,418 |
| Connecticut | 330 | $62,400 | $47,810 | $97,760 | $49,324 | $47,606 |
| Maine | 200 | $61,750 | $45,660 | $86,840 | $48,997 | $50,486 |
| District of Columbia | 210 | $61,240 | $58,130 | $93,070 | $48,852 | $44,451 |
| Virginia | 2,300 | $60,260 | $47,040 | $73,890 | $47,948 | $47,424 |
| New Hampshire | 220 | $59,920 | $48,500 | $73,480 | $50,326 | $48,313 |
| Delaware | 90 | $59,820 | $50,000 | $72,370 | $47,363 | $47,454 |
| Arizona | 3,980 | $59,390 | $46,470 | $92,270 | $48,809 | $48,481 |
| Colorado | 860 | $58,830 | $44,870 | $83,150 | $47,311 | $45,910 |
| Kansas | 260 | $58,560 | $44,770 | $79,820 | $46,765 | $51,922 |
| Utah | 1,630 | $58,250 | $40,190 | $75,200 | $46,837 | $47,375 |
| South Dakota | 440 | $57,050 | $45,380 | $74,800 | $48,020 | $54,207 |
| Tennessee | 1,240 | $56,750 | $44,500 | $74,700 | $47,779 | $52,007 |
| Alabama | 1,740 | $56,640 | $40,660 | $67,700 | $45,329 | $51,033 |
| Florida | 2,730 | $55,700 | $37,950 | $73,280 | $46,935 | $45,385 |
| Vermont | 50 | $55,640 | $46,450 | $83,630 | $45,457 | $46,404 |
| Texas | 9,700 | $52,240 | $42,160 | $77,520 | $44,155 | $45,494 |
| South Carolina | 660 | $50,750 | $34,890 | $66,750 | $41,908 | $44,703 |
| Mississippi | 480 | $50,690 | $30,700 | $74,520 | $41,614 | $47,858 |
| North Carolina | 2,000 | $48,740 | $36,780 | $79,130 | $39,907 | $42,307 |
| Georgia | 980 | $48,090 | $38,370 | $70,680 | $39,169 | $40,677 |
| Oklahoma | 1,140 | $47,660 | $37,790 | $63,670 | $38,876 | $44,256 |
| Wyoming | 80 | $47,480 | $39,960 | $60,820 | $40,330 | $43,510 |
| Arkansas | 1,080 | $45,510 | $32,430 | $61,460 | $37,551 | $43,193 |
| Guam | 150 | $33,660 | $33,590 | $42,670 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 160 | $29,620 | $24,500 | $35,860 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2221. *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.