Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Alabama

Median $30.56 an hour for 180 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$30.56/hrMedian hourly wageAlabama, May data
$63,570/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.22 – $38.1710th to 90th percentilehourly range
180Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-13

Boilermaker pay in Alabama: the full range

Wage percentiles, AlabamaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50$60/hrAlabama: 10th $23.22 · 25th $24.13 · median $30.56 · 75th $35.31 · 90th $38.17Alabama$30.56$23.22$38.17United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Alabama vs United States, May 2025.

Alabama ranks 33rd of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 29th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $34.41). 180 boilermakers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.6× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$23.22 – $24.13$48,290 – $50,190roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$24.13 – $35.31$50,190 – $73,440the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$35.31 – $38.17$73,440 – $79,400the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in Alabama

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrDecatur: $30.80Decatur$30.80Birmingham: $30.77Birmingham$30.77
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in Alabama, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Decatur$23.19$30.80$35.32$50.66301% above
Birmingham$23.48$30.77$33.59$38.66—1% above

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Boilermaker wages in Alabama over time

Alabama, 1999-2025AlabamaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$36.74United States$30.56Alabama
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Alabama vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearAlabama $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$16.90$32.66$18.09890
2000$16.50$30.85$17.80480
2001$14.59$26.52$19.06370
2002$18.24$32.64$20.17480
2004$21.82$37.19$21.68310
2005$22.36$36.86$23.10340
2006$18.52$29.58$22.58260
2007$18.09$28.09$24.38290
2008$18.72$27.99$25.13280
2009$24.15$36.24$26.97380
2010$22.95$33.88$26.27590
2011$25.80$36.93$27.36540
2012$24.32$34.10$27.19320
2013$27.26$37.67$27.74180
2014$26.65$36.24$28.78240
2015$23.95$32.53$28.90180
2016$25.14$33.72$29.84290
2017$22.71$29.83$29.93190
2018$27.09$34.73$29.88360
2019$27.28$34.35$30.34360
2020$27.97$34.79$31.42370
2021$29.13$34.61$30.91260
2022$29.73$32.71$32.17200
2023$33.86$35.78$34.20350
2024$30.39$31.19$35.26240
2025$30.56$30.56$36.74180

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in Alabama changed by -6.1% over the last ten years of data and by -11.0% since 2019.

Are there more boilermaker jobs in Alabama?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.3× the US share, 6th of 33 states

BLS counted 180 boilermakers in Alabama in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 28%. With fewer than 3,000 jobs or a wide margin of error, year-to-year changes are within the survey's noise and are not shown as a trend.

Outlook for boilermakers in Alabama

-0.8%Projected growth in Alabama2024–2034, state agency
20Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
250Jobs in 2024240 projected for 2034
-1.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Alabama's labor market agency projects the number of boilermakers in the state to change by -0.8% between 2024 and 2034, from 250 to 240, with about 20 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects -1.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 180 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Alabama labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in Alabama

On federally funded construction in Alabama, contractors must pay boilermakers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 67 of the 67 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $58.13 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $30.56.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ALAutauga: $58.13 (union)Baldwin: $58.13 (union)Barbour: $58.13 (union)Bibb: $58.13 (union)Blount: $58.13 (union)Bullock: $58.13 (union)Butler: $58.13 (union)Calhoun: $58.13 (union)Chambers: $58.13 (union)Cherokee: $58.13 (union)Chilton: $58.13 (union)Choctaw: $58.13 (union)Clarke: $58.13 (union)Clay: $58.13 (union)Cleburne: $58.13 (union)Coffee: $58.13 (union)Colbert: $58.13 (union)Conecuh: $58.13 (union)Coosa: $58.13 (union)Covington: $58.13 (union)Crenshaw: $58.13 (union)Cullman: $58.13 (union)Dale: $58.13 (union)Dallas: $58.13 (union)DeKalb: $58.13 (union)Elmore: $58.13 (union)Escambia: $58.13 (union)Etowah: $58.13 (union)Fayette: $58.13 (union)Franklin: $58.13 (union)Geneva: $58.13 (union)Greene: $58.13 (union)Hale: $58.13 (union)Henry: $58.13 (union)Houston: $58.13 (union)Jackson: $58.13 (union)Jefferson: $58.13 (union)Lamar: $58.13 (union)Lauderdale: $58.13 (union)Lawrence: $58.13 (union)Lee: $58.13 (union)Limestone: $58.13 (union)Lowndes: $58.13 (union)Macon: $58.13 (union)Madison: $58.13 (union)Marengo: $58.13 (union)Marion: $58.13 (union)Marshall: $58.13 (union)Mobile: $58.13 (union)Monroe: $58.13 (union)Montgomery: $58.13 (union)Morgan: $58.13 (union)Perry: $58.13 (union)Pickens: $58.13 (union)Pike: $58.13 (union)Randolph: $58.13 (union)Russell: $58.13 (union)St. Clair: $58.13 (union)Shelby: $58.13 (union)Sumter: $58.13 (union)Talladega: $58.13 (union)Tallapoosa: $58.13 (union)Tuscaloosa: $58.13 (union)Walker: $58.13 (union)Washington: $58.13 (union)Wilcox: $58.13 (union)Winston: $58.13 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for boilermakers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$20$30$40$50$60$70/hrAutauga (Alabama): market median $30.56, prevailing (union) $58.13, gap +$27.57Autauga (Alabama)+$27.57Bibb (Birmingham): market median $30.77, prevailing (union) $58.13, gap +$27.36Bibb (Birmingham)+$27.36Lawrence (Decatur): market median $30.80, prevailing (union) $58.13, gap +$27.33Lawrence (Decatur)+$27.33
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for boilermakers, metro counties in Alabama.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AutaugaUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260082
BaldwinUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260083
BarbourUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260078
BibbUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260099
BlountUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260099
BullockUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260078
ButlerUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260078
CalhounUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260084
ChambersUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260079
CherokeeUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260079
ChiltonUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260099
ChoctawUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260080
ClarkeUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260073
ClayUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260079
CleburneUnion BOIL0108-001 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AL20260079

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Alabama prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Alabama?

113.8kConstruction jobsAlabama, 2026-09
+2.6%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202660k80k100k120k19901995200020052010201520202025114kSep 2026
Construction employment in Alabama (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just boilermakers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages. Across the 57 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 44,698 in 2015 to 62,190 in 2025, +39.1%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Jefferson County95812,148$79,282$1,525
Madison County5805,213$75,617$1,454
Mobile County6598,072$75,348$1,449
Morgan County2382,314$75,205$1,446
Chilton County78457$75,114$1,445
Shelby County4163,494$74,861$1,440
Montgomery County2443,254$71,634$1,378
Colbert County861,209$68,621$1,320
Baldwin County5923,531$67,920$1,306
Lauderdale County1301,405$67,819$1,304
Elmore County132805$67,299$1,294
Limestone County1711,759$66,641$1,282

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Alabama

More on Alabama

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Alabama?

The median boilermaker in Alabama earned $30.56 an hour ($63,570 a year) in May 2025, 17% below the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $24.13–$35.31; the top 10% earn more than $38.17.

Where does Alabama rank for boilermaker pay?

Alabama ranks 33rd of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $30.56 an hour, and 29th after adjusting for Alabama's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.8, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Alabama?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 67 counties, with a typical package of $58.13 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in Alabama?

BLS counted 180 boilermakers in Alabama in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.29; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is boilermaker work growing in Alabama?

Alabama's labor market agency projects -0.8% growth for boilermakers between 2024 and 2034, from 250 to 240 jobs.

How many boilermaker openings a year are there in Alabama?

Alabama projects about 20 openings a year for boilermakers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 700 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Alabama and metro areas, SOC 47-2011. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-13. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Alabama labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.