Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$62,780

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$49,880 – $82,660

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

68,380

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+3.1%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

5,900

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.

Main tasks

• Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
• Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels.
• Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails.
• Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
• Assemble or inspect hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
• Lift steel beams, girders, or columns using cranes or forklifts, or by signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift or position structural steel members.
• Fabricate metal parts, such as steel frames, columns, beams, or girders, according to blueprints or instructions from supervisors.
• Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: apprenticeship

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 1 programme to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

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• Sheet Metal Workers

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• Carpenters

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• Millwrights

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• Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers

  $65,380 median · -5.6% projected

• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

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