Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in North Carolina

Median $23.90 an hour for 150 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$23.90/hrMedian hourly wageNorth Carolina, May data
$49,720/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$19.67 – $38.3510th to 90th percentilehourly range
150Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Boilermaker pay in North Carolina: the full range

Wage percentiles, North CarolinaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrNorth Carolina: 10th $19.67 · 25th $22.34 · median $23.90 · 75th $36.78 · 90th $38.35North Carolina$23.90$19.67$38.35United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: North Carolina vs United States, May 2025.

North Carolina ranks 36th of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 36th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $25.34). 150 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$19.67 – $22.34$40,900 – $46,460roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$22.34 – $36.78$46,460 – $76,510the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$36.78 – $38.35$76,510 – $79,770the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in North Carolina

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrVirginia Beach: $32.86Virginia Beach$32.86
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in North Carolina, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Virginia Beach$23.18$32.86$37.589037% above

Boilermaker wages in North Carolina over time

North Carolina, 1999-2025North CarolinaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$36.74United States$23.90North Carolina
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, North Carolina vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearNorth Carolina $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$14.11$27.27$18.09—
2000$12.45$23.28$17.80260
2001$13.40$24.36$19.06250
2002$14.71$26.32$20.17200
2003$16.18$28.31$20.79170
2004$18.29$31.17$21.68130
2005$20.04$33.04$23.10180
2006$21.66$34.59$22.58150
2007$19.48$30.25$24.38260
2008$21.41$32.01$25.13360
2009$22.29$33.45$26.97400
2010$22.52$33.25$26.27380
2011$22.86$32.72$27.36240
2012$21.31$29.88$27.19160
2013$24.52$33.89$27.7490
2014$26.71$36.32$28.78160
2015$23.14$31.43$28.90220
2016$24.04$32.25$29.84270
2017$23.84$31.31$29.93210
2018$29.88$38.31$29.88110
2019$28.33$35.68$30.34240
2020$27.28$33.93$31.42—
2021$23.46$27.87$30.91170
2022$31.60$34.76$32.17—
2023$29.71$31.39$34.20110
2024$22.00$22.58$35.26160
2025$23.90$23.90$36.74150

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in North Carolina changed by -24.0% over the last ten years of data and by -33.0% since 2019.

Are there more boilermaker jobs in North Carolina?

0.0Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.5× the US share, 29th of 33 states

BLS counted 150 boilermakers in North Carolina in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 46%. 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 North Carolina

-4.3%Projected growth in North Carolina2024–2034, state agency
10Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
160Jobs in 2024160 projected for 2034
-1.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

North Carolina's labor market agency projects the number of boilermakers in the state to change by -4.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 160 to 160, with about 10 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects -1.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 150 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Is construction work growing in North Carolina?

296.4kConstruction jobsNorth Carolina, 2026-09
+6.0%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026100k150k200k250k300k350k19901995200020052010201520202025296kSep 2026
Construction employment in North Carolina (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 91 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 116,615 in 2015 to 167,614 in 2025, +43.7%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Northampton County19143$90,853$1,747
Clay County30123$88,869$1,709
Mecklenburg County2,17826,786$81,939$1,576
Wake County2,36626,700$78,996$1,519
Lenoir County981,318$78,808$1,516
Randolph County2912,578$76,487$1,471
Guilford County8539,330$76,294$1,467
Union County7426,038$75,738$1,456
Halifax County53387$74,980$1,442
Rowan County2992,616$74,689$1,436
Polk County48190$73,921$1,422
Graham County24288$73,214$1,408

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in North Carolina

More on North Carolina

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in North Carolina?

The median boilermaker in North Carolina earned $23.90 an hour ($49,720 a year) in May 2025, 35% below the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $22.34–$36.78; the top 10% earn more than $38.35.

Where does North Carolina rank for boilermaker pay?

North Carolina ranks 36th of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $23.90 an hour, and 36th after adjusting for North Carolina's cost of living (BEA price parity 94.3, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in North Carolina?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a boilermaker classification for most North Carolina counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many boilermakers work in North Carolina?

BLS counted 150 boilermakers in North Carolina in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.47; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is boilermaker work growing in North Carolina?

North Carolina's labor market agency projects -4.3% growth for boilermakers between 2024 and 2034, from 160 to 160 jobs.

How many boilermaker openings a year are there in North Carolina?

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