OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin
Overview
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.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Ironworkers typically do the following:
- Read and follow blueprints, sketches, and other instructions
- Unload and stack prefabricated iron and steel so that it can be lifted with slings
- Signal crane operators who lift and position structural and reinforcing iron and steel
- Use shears, rod-bending machines, torches, handtools, and welding equipment to cut, bend, and weld the structural and reinforcing iron and steel
- Align structural and reinforcing iron and steel vertically and horizontally, using tag lines, plumb bobs, lasers, and levels
- Connect iron and steel with bolts, wire, or welds
- Install metal decking used in building construction
Structural and reinforcing iron and steel are important components of buildings, bridges, roads, and other structures. Even though the primary metal involved in this work is steel, workers often are known as ironworkers or erectors. Most of the work involves erecting new structures, but some ironworkers also help in the demolition, decommissioning, and rehabilitation of older buildings and bridges.
Structural iron and steel workers erect, place, and join steel girders, columns, and other pieces to form structural frameworks. They also may assemble precut metal buildings and the cranes and derricks that move materials and equipment around the construction site. Some ironworkers install precast walls or work with wood or composite materials.
Reinforcing iron and rebar workers position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms for purposes of reinforcement. Those who work with reinforcing steel (rebar) are sometimes called rod busters, in reference to rods of rebar.
Structural metal fabricators and fitters manufacture metal products in shops that are usually located away from construction sites.
Salary
Median salary: $54,830 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $40,990 and $73,800.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for structural iron and steel workers
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Structural Iron and Steel Workers
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
Worker concerns
Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of structural iron and steel workers who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.
- High Places (92%)
- Hazardous Equipment (83%)
- Responsible for Others' Health (83%)
- Exposed to Contaminants (82%)
- Time Pressure (78%)
- Minor Burns, Cuts, Bites (67%)
- Hazardous Conditions (62%)
- Consequence of Error (61%)
- High Conflict Frequency (53%)
- Unpleasant or Angry People (35%)
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Structural Iron and Steel Workers? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Ability to work at heights
Ironworkers must not be afraid to work at great heights. For example, workers connecting girders during skyscraper construction may have to walk on narrow beams that are 50 stories or higher.
Balance
Ironworkers often walk on narrow beams, so a good sense of balance is important to keep them from falling.
Critical thinking
Ironworkers need to identify problems, monitor and assess potential risks, and evaluate the best courses of action. They must use logic and reasoning when finding alternatives so that they safely accomplish their tasks
Depth perception
Ironworkers often signal crane operators who move beams and bundles of rebar, so they must be able to judge the distance between objects.
Hand-eye coordination
Ironworkers must be able to tie rebar together quickly and precisely.
Physical stamina
Ironworkers must have physical endurance because they spend many hours each day performing physically demanding tasks, such as moving rebar.
Physical strength
Ironworkers must be strong enough to guide heavy beams into place and tighten bolts.
Injury and Illness
About 151 structural iron and steel workers become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 89% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Fractures
Heat (thermal) burns
All multiple traumatic injuries
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by structural iron and steel workers
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), structural iron and steel workers typically hold a high school diploma or equivalent.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as structural iron and steel workers as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for structural iron and steel workers
A high school diploma or equivalent is generally required to enter an apprenticeship. Workers learning through on-the-job training may not need a high school diploma or equivalent. Courses in math, as well as training in vocational subjects such as blueprint reading and welding, are useful.
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for structural iron and steel workers
Certifications in welding, rigging, and crane signaling may make ironworkers more attractive to prospective employers. Several organizations provide certifications for different aspects of the work. For example, the American Welding Society offers welding certification, and several organizations offer rigging certifications, including the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, and the National Center for Construction Education and Research.
Education level of Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Only 4% of structural iron and steel workers have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by structural iron and steel workers
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Structural Iron and Steel Workers per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most structural iron and steel workers? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as structural iron and steel workers. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where structural iron and steel workers earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for structural iron and steel workers compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for structural iron and steel workers.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which structural iron and steel workers earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Structural Iron and Steel Workers (ACS)
Employment
5% of Structural iron and steel workers are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 5% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 77% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of structural iron and steel workers by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Structural iron and steel workers and gender
With 3% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 91% of careers.
Gender of Structural iron and steel workers
Men (97%)
Women (3%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Structural iron and steel workers
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Structural iron and steel workers.
Race/origin of structural iron and steel workers
White (80% )
Other (7% )
Black (6% )
Multiracial (3% )
American Indian (1% )
Hispanic (1% )
Asian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
