Average Hourly Wage of Iron & Steel Workers, By State

This is the 10th installment of Construction Junkie's weekly analysis of the hourly wages of each individual construction profession by state.  The three previous professions we examined were drywall installers, roofers, and painters.  You can also see the full list of all past and future professions by clicking here.

Structural iron and steel workers often work from great heights when installing the structural steel and iron on buildings, bridges, and other structures. From 2016 to 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects overall employment of ironworkers to grow 13%, which is higher than the average growth rate of all industries.  That's good news if you're currently and iron worker or about to become one.

With that growth assumption in mind, let's take a look at how much steel and iron workers are currently being paid in each state.

All data below comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s most recent reports from May 2016. 

Graph of Average Hourly Wage of an Iron & Steel Worker, by State

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click for larger image

Rankings of Average Hourly Wage of an Iron & Steel Worker, by State

51. North Carolina  --  $17.83/hour

50. Oklahoma  --  $18.49/hour

49. Georgia  --  $18.66/hour

48. Nebraska  --  $19.60/hour

47. South Dakota  --  $19.88/hour

46. Florida  --  $20.05/hour

45. Idaho  --  $20.58/hour

44. Texas  --  $20.58/hour

43. Utah--$20.65/hour

42. Arkansas  --  $21.05/hour

41. Arizona  --  $21.09/hour

40. South Carolina  --  $21.18/hour

39. Mississippi  --  $21.22/hour

38. Kansas  --  $21.31/hour

37. Maine  --  $21.40/hour

36. Tennessee  --  $21.46/hour

35. Alabama  --  $21.52/hour

34. Delaware  --  $21.66/hour

33. Virginia  --  $22.05/hour

32. Montana  --  $22.49/hour

31. Wyoming  --  $22.86/hour

30. Colorado  --  $23.20/hour

29. West Virginia  --  $23.66/hour

28. Vermont  --  $23.70/hour

27. Maryland  --  $24.12/hour

26. Michigan  --  $24.22/hour

25. New Hampshire  --  $24.53/hour

24. New Mexico  --  $24.63/hour

23. Louisiana  --  $24.71/hour

22. Kentucky  --  $24.95/hour

21. Iowa  --  $25.69/hour

20. Nevada  --  $25.93/hour

19. North Dakota  --  $26.05/hour

18. Indiana  --  $26.20/hour

17. District of Columbia  --  $27.76/hour

16. Ohio  --  $27.93/hour

15. Pennsylvania  --  $28.04/hour

14. Connecticut  --  $28.49/hour

13. Missouri  --  $29.93/hour

12. California  --  $30.08/hour

11. Wisconsin  --  $30.45/hour

10. Alaska  --  $30.46/hour

9. Oregon  --  $30.84/hour

8. Minnesota  --  $32.98/hour

7. Massachusetts  --  $33.82/hour

6. Rhode Island  --  $34.69/hour

5. Hawaii  --  $34.75/hour

4. Washington  --  $35.56/hour

3. New York  --  $41.29/hour

2. Illinois  --  $41.66/hour

1. New Jersey  --  $42.25/hour

Graph of Average Hourly Wage of an Iron & Steel Worker - Adjusted for Cost of Living, by State

Cost of living in each state also has a large impact on the amount of money construction trades actually bring home, so the graph below shows each state's adjusted hourly wage based upon the cost of living index for that state.  All cost of living index data comes from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center and was last updated for the second quarter of 2017.  The cost of living index was based upon grocery, housing, utilities, transportation, health, and miscellaneous costs for each state. 

click for larger image

click for larger image

Rankings of Average Hourly Wage of an Iron and Steel Worker - Adjusted for Cost of Living, by State

51. Hawaii  --  $11.68/hour

50. District of Columbia  --  $12.94/hour

49. California  --  $16.36/hour

48. Maryland  --  $17.61/hour

47. North Carolina  --  $18.79/hour

46. Maine  --  $18.90/hour

45. South Dakota  --  $19.96/hour

44. Florida  --  $20.35/hour

43. Oklahoma--$20.38/hour

42. Georgia  --  $20.41/hour

41. Oregon  --  $21.06/hour

40. Delaware  --  $21.18/hour

39. Alaska  --  $21.20/hour

38. Nebraska  --  $21.21/hour

37. South Carolina  --  $21.48/hour

36. Virginia  --  $21.56/hour

35. New Hampshire  --  $21.59/hour

34. Utah  --  $21.62/hour

33. Arizona  --  $21.83/hour

32. Montana  --  $22.33/hour

31. Idaho  --  $22.37/hour

30. Texas  --  $22.51/hour

29. Colorado  --  $22.53/hour

28. Vermont  --  $23.01/hour

27. Massachusetts  --  $23.50/hour

26. Kansas  --  $23.50/hour

25. Alabama  --  $23.52/hour

24. Wyoming  --  $23.66/hour

23. Arkansas  --  $23.70/hour

22. Tennessee  --  $23.73/hour

21. Connecticut  --  $23.79/hour

20. Mississippi  --  $24.30/hour

19. Nevada  --  $24.53/hour

18. West Virginia  --  $24.63/hour

17. Louisiana  --  $26.04/hour

16. New Mexico  --  $26.08/hour

15. North Dakota  --  $26.34/hour

14. Michigan  --  $26.57/hour

13. Kentucky  --  $26.62/hour

12. Rhode Island  --  $26.95/hour

11. Pennsylvania  --  $27.59/hour

10. Iowa  --  $27.77/hour

9. New York  --  $28.24/hour

8. Indiana  --  $28.61/hour

7. Ohio  --  $30.08/hour

6. Wisconsin  --  $31.24/hour

5. Washington  --  $32.72/hour

4. New Jersey  --  $32.74/hour

3. Missouri  --  $32.95/hour

2. Minnesota  --  $33.05/hour

1. Illinois  --  $42.83/hour

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