Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Arkansas

Median $36.93 an hour for 50 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$36.93/hrMedian hourly wageArkansas, May data
$76,810/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$29.23 – $54.8710th to 90th percentilehourly range
50Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Boilermaker pay in Arkansas: the full range

Wage percentiles, ArkansasMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50$60/hrArkansas: 10th $29.23 · 25th $36.93 · median $36.93 · 75th $54.86 · 90th $54.87Arkansas$36.93$29.23$54.87United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Arkansas vs United States, May 2025.

Arkansas ranks 23rd of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 15th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $42.50). 50 boilermakers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.9× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$29.23 – $36.93$60,790 – $76,810roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$36.93 – $54.86$76,810 – $114,120the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$54.86 – $54.87$114,120 – $114,130the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker wages in Arkansas over time

Arkansas, 1999-2025ArkansasUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$502000200520102025$36.93Arkansas$36.74United States
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Arkansas vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearArkansas $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$19.02$36.75$18.0940
2000$15.94$29.80$17.8030
2005$20.08$33.10$23.10—
2007$19.78$30.71$24.38—
2008$13.75$20.56$25.13—
2009$21.36$32.05$26.97130
2010$19.72$29.12$26.2790
2011$22.12$31.66$27.3660
2012$21.20$29.73$27.1940
2013$23.52$32.50$27.7430
2014$26.16$35.58$28.7830
2016$20.64$27.69$29.84120
2017$17.06$22.41$29.93120
2018$21.30$27.31$29.88200
2021——$30.91110
2022$41.18$45.30$32.17100
2023$29.69$31.37$34.2050
2024$35.95$36.90$35.2660
2025$36.93$36.93$36.7450

Are there more boilermaker jobs in Arkansas?

0.0Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.6× the US share, 25th of 33 states

BLS counted 50 boilermakers in Arkansas in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 22%. 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 Arkansas

-9.2%Projected growth in Arkansas2024–2034, state agency
0Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
60Jobs in 202460 projected for 2034
-1.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Arkansas's labor market agency projects the number of boilermakers in the state to change by -9.2% between 2024 and 2034, from 60 to 60, with about 0 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects -1.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 50 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in Arkansas

On federally funded construction in Arkansas, contractors must pay boilermakers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 20 of the 20 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 $36.93.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ARArkansas: n/aAshley: n/aBaxter: n/aBenton: $58.13 (union)Boone: n/aBradley: n/aCalhoun: n/aCarroll: n/aChicot: n/aClark: n/aClay: n/aCleburne: n/aCleveland: $58.13 (union)Columbia: n/aConway: n/aCraighead: $58.13 (union)Crawford: $58.13 (union)Crittenden: $58.13 (union)Cross: n/aDallas: n/aDesha: n/aDrew: n/aFaulkner: $58.13 (union)Franklin: n/aFulton: n/aGarland: $58.13 (union)Grant: $58.13 (union)Greene: n/aHempstead: n/aHot Spring: n/aHoward: n/aIndependence: n/aIzard: n/aJackson: n/aJefferson: $58.13 (union)Johnson: n/aLafayette: n/aLawrence: n/aLee: n/aLincoln: $58.13 (union)Little River: $58.13 (union)Logan: n/aLonoke: $58.13 (union)Madison: $58.13 (union)Marion: n/aMiller: $58.13 (union)Mississippi: n/aMonroe: n/aMontgomery: n/aNevada: n/aNewton: n/aOuachita: n/aPerry: $58.13 (union)Phillips: n/aPike: n/aPoinsett: $58.13 (union)Polk: n/aPope: n/aPrairie: n/aPulaski: $58.13 (union)Randolph: n/aSt. Francis: n/aSaline: $58.13 (union)Scott: n/aSearcy: n/aSebastian: $58.13 (union)Sevier: n/aSharp: n/aStone: n/aUnion: n/aVan Buren: n/aWashington: $58.13 (union)White: n/aWoodruff: n/aYell: n/aUnion / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for boilermakers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BentonUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260023
ClevelandUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260036
CraigheadUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260024
CrawfordUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260025
CrittendenUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260026
FaulknerUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260027
GarlandUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260028
GrantUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260037
JeffersonUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260036
LincolnUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260036
Little RiverUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260038
LonokeUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260029
MadisonUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260030
MillerUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260038
PerryUnion BOIL0069-002 2025-01-01$34.21$23.92$58.13AR20260037

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

Is construction work growing in Arkansas?

68.0kConstruction jobsArkansas, 2026-09
+1.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k1990199520002005201020152020202568kSep 2026
Construction employment in Arkansas (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 60 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 28,946 in 2015 to 39,465 in 2025, +36.3%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Mississippi County32932$85,257$1,640
Union County46648$82,147$1,580
Lawrence County20128$80,802$1,554
Grant County39319$79,574$1,530
Pulaski County6116,605$70,446$1,355
Greene County50371$66,953$1,288
Washington County4775,917$66,623$1,281
Craighead County1931,879$65,719$1,264
Benton County6525,746$65,634$1,262
Conway County42444$64,241$1,235
Little River County827$63,193$1,215
Pope County110661$62,920$1,210

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Arkansas

More on Arkansas

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Arkansas?

The median boilermaker in Arkansas earned $36.93 an hour ($76,810 a year) in May 2025, 1% above the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $36.93–$54.86; the top 10% earn more than $54.87.

Where does Arkansas rank for boilermaker pay?

Arkansas ranks 23rd of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $36.93 an hour, and 15th after adjusting for Arkansas's cost of living (BEA price parity 86.9, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Arkansas?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 20 counties, with a typical package of $58.13 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in Arkansas?

BLS counted 50 boilermakers in Arkansas in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.57; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is boilermaker work growing in Arkansas?

Arkansas's labor market agency projects -9.2% growth for boilermakers between 2024 and 2034, from 60 to 60 jobs.

How many boilermaker openings a year are there in Arkansas?

Arkansas projects about 0 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, Arkansas 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: Arkansas labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.