Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Structural Iron and Steel Workers (SOC 47-2221) earn a median $62,780 a year ($30.18 an hour) in the United States, with 68,380 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is Massachusetts.
What structural iron and steel workers do
Structural iron and steel workers raise and position iron or steel girders, columns and other structural members and join them into finished structures or frameworks. They read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities and sizes of materials, fasten steel members to hoist cables with chains, cables or rope, and hoist them into place using cranes or by signaling the hoisting equipment operators. Members are aligned and bolted in position for permanent riveting, bolting or welding, and their vertical and horizontal alignment is verified with plumb bobs, lasers, transits or levels. Workers cut, bend or weld steel pieces with shears, torches or welding equipment. They may also erect metal storage tanks, assemble prefabricated metal buildings, and erect metal or precast concrete components for buildings, bridges, dams, towers, fences and highway guard rails. Billboard erector is among the listed titles. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers (47-2171) are excluded and have their own code.
Typical entry: O*NET respondents most often report a high school diploma or the equivalent as the education needed.
Also called: Assembler, Awnings Mechanic, Billboard Erector, Billboard Installer, Billboard Mechanic.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $21.43 | $23.98 | $30.18 | $39.74 | $52.05 | $33.79 | 68,380 |
| Annual | $44,580 | $49,880 | $62,780 | $82,660 | $108,260 | $70,280 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where structural iron and steel workers earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Massachusetts | Hourly | $39.79 | $53.32 | $58.10 | $59.64 | $61.58 | $54.47 | 2,050 | 0.56 | 1.28 |
| Annual | $82,760 | $110,910 | $120,840 | $124,040 | $128,080 | $113,290 | ||||
| New Jersey | Hourly | $45.19 | $50.20 | $54.43 | $59.93 | $62.84 | $54.16 | 1,060 | 0.25 | 0.56 |
| Annual | $94,000 | $104,410 | $113,220 | $124,640 | $130,710 | $112,660 | ||||
| Washington | Hourly | $25.58 | $38.37 | $51.76 | $57.77 | $62.01 | $47.26 | 850 | 0.24 | 0.54 |
| Annual | $53,210 | $79,810 | $107,660 | $120,170 | $128,970 | $98,300 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $31.17 | $39.30 | $48.97 | $58.00 | $59.83 | $47.44 | 2,740 | 0.45 | 1.02 |
| Annual | $64,830 | $81,750 | $101,850 | $120,640 | $124,450 | $98,680 | ||||
| Hawaii | Hourly | $25.95 | $46.83 | $48.01 | $53.45 | $58.50 | $46.45 | 290 | 0.46 | 1.05 |
| Annual | $53,970 | $97,400 | $99,860 | $111,170 | $121,680 | $96,620 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Texas | Hourly | $20.27 | $22.65 | $25.12 | $29.98 | $37.27 | $27.28 | 9,700 | 0.69 | 1.57 |
| Annual | $42,160 | $47,120 | $52,240 | $62,360 | $77,520 | $56,740 | ||||
| California | Hourly | $22.83 | $28.47 | $36.72 | $49.99 | $56.75 | $38.91 | 7,110 | 0.39 | 0.89 |
| Annual | $47,480 | $59,220 | $76,370 | $103,980 | $118,030 | $80,920 | ||||
| Arizona | Hourly | $22.34 | $23.53 | $28.55 | $30.95 | $44.36 | $29.98 | 3,980 | 1.23 | 2.80 |
| Annual | $46,470 | $48,940 | $59,390 | $64,370 | $92,270 | $62,360 | ||||
| Indiana | Hourly | $21.98 | $27.32 | $33.72 | $38.83 | $47.52 | $33.94 | 2,750 | 0.86 | 1.95 |
| Annual | $45,720 | $56,830 | $70,130 | $80,770 | $98,840 | $70,590 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $31.17 | $39.30 | $48.97 | $58.00 | $59.83 | $47.44 | 2,740 | 0.45 | 1.02 |
| Annual | $64,830 | $81,750 | $101,850 | $120,640 | $124,450 | $98,680 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | Hourly | $38.94 | $53.28 | $58.10 | $60.82 | $61.83 | $54.43 | 1,310 | 0.49 | 1.10 |
| Annual | $81,000 | $110,830 | $120,840 | $126,500 | $128,600 | $113,210 | ||||
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | Hourly | $48.00 | $51.23 | $55.94 | $55.94 | $58.69 | $53.54 | 70 | 0.27 | 0.62 |
| Annual | $99,830 | $106,560 | $116,360 | $116,360 | $122,060 | $111,350 | ||||
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | Hourly | $43.50 | $49.70 | $55.08 | $55.87 | $64.03 | $53.06 | 30 | 0.20 | 0.45 |
| Annual | $90,480 | $103,380 | $114,570 | $116,220 | $133,180 | $110,360 | ||||
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | Hourly | $38.37 | $47.12 | $53.61 | $58.42 | $58.74 | $51.66 | 40 | 0.32 | 0.73 |
| Annual | $79,810 | $98,010 | $111,500 | $121,520 | $122,180 | $107,460 | ||||
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | Hourly | $26.31 | $38.16 | $53.58 | $61.64 | $62.26 | $49.43 | 450 | 0.21 | 0.49 |
| Annual | $54,720 | $79,370 | $111,440 | $128,200 | $129,500 | $102,820 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | Hourly | $23.07 | $23.61 | $28.63 | $30.91 | $44.36 | $30.21 | 3,470 | 1.46 | 3.32 |
| Annual | $47,980 | $49,120 | $59,540 | $64,300 | $92,270 | $62,830 | ||||
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | Hourly | $21.69 | $22.98 | $27.90 | $31.17 | $37.59 | $28.07 | 3,000 | 0.91 | 2.07 |
| Annual | $45,110 | $47,790 | $58,030 | $64,830 | $78,180 | $58,380 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | $21.93 | $23.60 | $25.77 | $29.68 | $37.27 | $27.88 | 2,850 | 0.70 | 1.60 |
| Annual | $45,620 | $49,080 | $53,600 | $61,720 | $77,520 | $58,000 | ||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | $30.54 | $39.50 | $49.07 | $59.93 | $62.81 | $49.00 | 2,300 | 0.24 | 0.55 |
| Annual | $63,520 | $82,160 | $102,060 | $124,640 | $130,640 | $101,920 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | $22.59 | $28.83 | $37.52 | $50.03 | $52.98 | $38.99 | 2,150 | 0.34 | 0.78 |
| Annual | $47,000 | $59,960 | $78,040 | $104,060 | $110,200 | $81,100 | ||||
Top industries employing structural iron and steel workers
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors employ 47.4% of structural iron and steel workers nationally (32,390 jobs) at a median $63,340 a year ($30.45 an hour), followed by Nonresidential Building Construction (19.0%) and Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) (6.9%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors NAICS 238100 | 32,390 | 47.4% | $63,340 | $30.45 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction NAICS 236200 | 12,960 | 19.0% | $61,930 | $29.78 |
| Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3323 and 3324 only) NAICS 3320A2 | 4,690 | 6.9% | $63,100 | $30.34 |
| Building Equipment Contractors NAICS 238200 | 3,400 | 5.0% | $68,330 | $32.85 |
| Utility System Construction NAICS 237100 | 2,520 | 3.7% | $62,510 | $30.05 |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (68,380). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $58,550 for structural iron and steel workers in May 2021 and $62,780 in May 2025, with employment of 68,620 and 68,380.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $58,550 | $28.15 | 68,620 |
| May 2022 | $60,500 | $29.09 | 66,810 |
| May 2023 | $62,760 | $30.17 | 63,780 |
| May 2024 | $62,700 | $30.14 | 64,720 |
| May 2025 | $62,780 | $30.18 | 68,380 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
50 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts profile | $58.10 | $120,840 | $82,760 | $128,080 | 2,050 | 0.56 | 1.28 |
| 2 | New Jersey profile | $54.43 | $113,220 | $94,000 | $130,710 | 1,060 | 0.25 | 0.56 |
| 3 | Washington profile | $51.76 | $107,660 | $53,210 | $128,970 | 850 | 0.24 | 0.54 |
| 4 | Illinois profile | $48.97 | $101,850 | $64,830 | $124,450 | 2,740 | 0.45 | 1.02 |
| 5 | Hawaii profile | $48.01 | $99,860 | $53,970 | $121,680 | 290 | 0.46 | 1.05 |
| 6 | Rhode Island profile | $47.27 | $98,320 | $65,500 | $98,330 | 360 | 0.71 | 1.62 |
| 7 | Oregon profile | $46.18 | $96,050 | $52,630 | $120,860 | 570 | 0.29 | 0.65 |
| 8 | Minnesota profile | $45.83 | $95,320 | $80,030 | $99,010 | 910 | 0.31 | 0.70 |
| 9 | Wisconsin profile | $44.63 | $92,820 | $58,150 | $100,160 | 710 | 0.24 | 0.55 |
| 10 | New York profile | $44.52 | $92,610 | $59,140 | $129,180 | 2,700 | 0.28 | 0.63 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania profile | $39.89 | $82,970 | $51,550 | $110,680 | 1,610 | 0.27 | 0.60 |
| 12 | North Dakota profile | $39.48 | $82,120 | $57,410 | $99,840 | 270 | 0.63 | 1.42 |
| 13 | Missouri profile | $37.22 | $77,410 | $48,650 | $89,350 | 1,320 | 0.45 | 1.02 |
| 14 | Iowa profile | $37.21 | $77,400 | $59,120 | $81,240 | ** | ** | ** |
| 15 | Alaska profile | $37.01 | $76,970 | $65,990 | $99,980 | 120 | 0.36 | 0.82 |
| 16 | California profile | $36.72 | $76,370 | $47,480 | $118,030 | 7,110 | 0.39 | 0.89 |
| 17 | Ohio profile | $35.92 | $74,710 | $47,840 | $88,860 | 2,290 | 0.41 | 0.94 |
| 18 | Idaho profile | $34.98 | $72,750 | $49,780 | $80,140 | 500 | 0.58 | 1.32 |
| 19 | West Virginia profile | $34.54 | $71,850 | $50,620 | $80,200 | 150 | 0.21 | 0.47 |
| 20 | Maryland profile | $34.49 | $71,730 | $47,790 | $82,160 | 710 | 0.26 | 0.59 |
| 21 | Indiana profile | $33.72 | $70,130 | $45,720 | $98,840 | 2,750 | 0.86 | 1.95 |
| 22 | Louisiana profile | $33.09 | $68,830 | $39,130 | $80,560 | 1,180 | 0.61 | 1.39 |
| 23 | Montana profile | $32.40 | $67,390 | $47,880 | $75,690 | 130 | 0.25 | 0.57 |
| 24 | Nebraska profile | $31.48 | $65,470 | $48,160 | $79,040 | 610 | 0.60 | 1.36 |
| 25 | Kentucky profile | $30.80 | $64,060 | $48,240 | $98,360 | 990 | 0.50 | 1.13 |
| 26 | Michigan profile | $30.21 | $62,830 | $41,260 | $79,150 | 1,750 | 0.40 | 0.90 |
| 27 | Nevada profile | $30.05 | $62,510 | $46,560 | $103,770 | 1,400 | 0.90 | 2.05 |
| 28 | Connecticut profile | $30.00 | $62,400 | $47,810 | $97,760 | 330 | 0.20 | 0.44 |
| 29 | Maine profile | $29.69 | $61,750 | $45,660 | $86,840 | 200 | 0.31 | 0.70 |
| 30 | District of Columbia profile | $29.44 | $61,240 | $58,130 | $93,070 | 210 | 0.31 | 0.70 |
| 31 | Virginia profile | $28.97 | $60,260 | $47,040 | $73,890 | 2,300 | 0.56 | 1.27 |
| 32 | New Hampshire profile | $28.81 | $59,920 | $48,500 | $73,480 | 220 | 0.32 | 0.72 |
| 33 | Delaware profile | $28.76 | $59,820 | $50,000 | $72,370 | 90 | 0.18 | 0.41 |
| 34 | Arizona profile | $28.55 | $59,390 | $46,470 | $92,270 | 3,980 | 1.23 | 2.80 |
| 35 | Colorado profile | $28.28 | $58,830 | $44,870 | $83,150 | 860 | 0.30 | 0.68 |
| 36 | Kansas profile | $28.15 | $58,560 | $44,770 | $79,820 | 260 | 0.18 | 0.42 |
| 37 | Utah profile | $28.01 | $58,250 | $40,190 | $75,200 | 1,630 | 0.94 | 2.14 |
| 38 | South Dakota profile | $27.43 | $57,050 | $45,380 | $74,800 | 440 | 0.96 | 2.18 |
| 39 | Tennessee profile | $27.29 | $56,750 | $44,500 | $74,700 | 1,240 | 0.38 | 0.86 |
| 40 | Alabama profile | $27.23 | $56,640 | $40,660 | $67,700 | 1,740 | 0.82 | 1.87 |
| 41 | Florida profile | $26.78 | $55,700 | $37,950 | $73,280 | 2,730 | 0.28 | 0.63 |
| 42 | Vermont profile | $26.75 | $55,640 | $46,450 | $83,630 | 50 | 0.15 | 0.34 |
| 43 | Texas profile | $25.12 | $52,240 | $42,160 | $77,520 | 9,700 | 0.69 | 1.57 |
| 44 | South Carolina profile | $24.40 | $50,750 | $34,890 | $66,750 | 660 | 0.29 | 0.66 |
| 45 | Mississippi profile | $24.37 | $50,690 | $30,700 | $74,520 | 480 | 0.41 | 0.94 |
| 46 | North Carolina profile | $23.43 | $48,740 | $36,780 | $79,130 | 2,000 | 0.41 | 0.92 |
| 47 | Georgia profile | $23.12 | $48,090 | $38,370 | $70,680 | 980 | 0.20 | 0.46 |
| 48 | Oklahoma profile | $22.92 | $47,660 | $37,790 | $63,670 | 1,140 | 0.67 | 1.51 |
| 49 | Wyoming profile | $22.83 | $47,480 | $39,960 | $60,820 | 80 | 0.28 | 0.64 |
| 50 | Arkansas profile | $21.88 | $45,510 | $32,430 | $61,460 | 1,080 | 0.83 | 1.88 |
Part of Construction and Extraction Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 47-2221 Structural Iron and Steel Workers.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 47-2221, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 47-2221.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.