Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Pennsylvania

Median $41.75 an hour for 260 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$41.75/hrMedian hourly wagePennsylvania, May data
$86,850/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$29.03 – $50.1710th to 90th percentilehourly range
260Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Boilermaker pay in Pennsylvania: the full range

Wage percentiles, PennsylvaniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50$60/hrPennsylvania: 10th $29.03 · 25th $35.44 · median $41.75 · 75th $46.67 · 90th $50.17Pennsylvania$41.75$29.03$50.17United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Pennsylvania vs United States, May 2025.

Pennsylvania ranks 12th of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 12th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $42.78). 260 boilermakers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.7× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$29.03 – $35.44$60,380 – $73,720roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$35.44 – $46.67$73,720 – $97,070the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$46.67 – $50.17$97,070 – $104,360the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in Pennsylvania

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrPittsburgh: $43.95Pittsburgh$43.95Philadelphia: $41.79Philadelphia$41.79
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in Pennsylvania, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Pittsburgh$32.50$43.95$46.41$49.501005% above
Philadelphia$31.86$41.79$40.73$55.42140about the same as

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

Boilermaker wages in Pennsylvania over time

Pennsylvania, 1999-2025PennsylvaniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$41.75Pennsylvania$36.74United States
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Pennsylvania vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearPennsylvania $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$22.38$43.25$18.091,820
2000$24.01$44.89$17.801,270
2001$24.39$44.34$19.061,070
2002$21.75$38.92$20.17640
2003$21.22$37.13$20.79630
2004$21.22$36.17$21.68680
2005$23.93$39.45$23.101,000
2006$22.51$35.95$22.58740
2007$26.42$41.02$24.38580
2008$22.85$34.17$25.13400
2009$30.35$45.54$26.97490
2010$28.81$42.54$26.27590
2011$28.98$41.48$27.36640
2012$25.95$36.39$27.19720
2013$24.10$33.31$27.74380
2014$28.38$38.59$28.78760
2015$30.17$40.98$28.90700
2016$32.67$43.82$29.84630
2017$40.95$53.78$29.93420
2018$39.76$50.98$29.88440
2019$42.12$53.04$30.34500
2020$40.06$49.83$31.42310
2021$37.14$44.13$30.91—
2022$41.68$45.85$32.17120
2023$41.04$43.36$34.20520
2024$42.17$43.28$35.26460
2025$41.75$41.75$36.74260

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in Pennsylvania changed by +1.9% over the last ten years of data and by -21.3% since 2019.

Are there more boilermaker jobs in Pennsylvania?

0.0Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.7× the US share, 22nd of 33 states

BLS counted 260 boilermakers in Pennsylvania in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 36%. 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 Pennsylvania

-6.3%Projected growth in Pennsylvania2024–2034, state agency
40Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
480Jobs in 2024450 projected for 2034
-1.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Pennsylvania's labor market agency projects the number of boilermakers in the state to change by -6.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 480 to 450, with about 40 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects -1.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 260 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in Pennsylvania

On federally funded construction in Pennsylvania, 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 $81.45 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $41.75.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, PAAdams: $90.48 (union)Allegheny: $81.45 (union)Armstrong: $81.45 (union)Beaver: $81.45 (union)Bedford: $81.45 (union)Berks: $90.48 (union)Blair: $81.45 (union)Bradford: $81.45 (union)Bucks: $90.48 (union)Butler: $81.45 (union)Cambria: $81.45 (union)Cameron: $81.45 (union)Carbon: $90.48 (union)Centre: $81.45 (union)Chester: $90.48 (union)Clarion: $81.45 (union)Clearfield: $81.45 (union)Clinton: $81.45 (union)Columbia: $90.48 (union)Crawford: $81.45 (union)Cumberland: $90.48 (union)Dauphin: $90.48 (union)Delaware: $90.48 (union)Elk: $81.45 (union)Erie: $81.45 (union)Fayette: $81.45 (union)Forest: $81.45 (union)Franklin: $90.48 (union)Fulton: $81.45 (union)Greene: $81.45 (union)Huntingdon: $81.45 (union)Indiana: $81.45 (union)Jefferson: $81.45 (union)Juniata: $81.45 (union)Lackawanna: $90.48 (union)Lancaster: $90.48 (union)Lawrence: $81.45 (union)Lebanon: $90.48 (union)Lehigh: $90.48 (union)Luzerne: $90.48 (union)Lycoming: $90.48 (union)McKean: $81.45 (union)Mercer: $81.45 (union)Mifflin: $81.45 (union)Monroe: $90.48 (union)Montgomery: $90.48 (union)Montour: $90.48 (union)Northampton: $90.48 (union)Northumberland: $81.45 (union)Perry: $90.48 (union)Philadelphia: $90.48 (union)Pike: $90.48 (union)Potter: $81.45 (union)Schuylkill: $81.45 (union)Snyder: $81.45 (union)Somerset: $81.45 (union)Sullivan: $81.45 (union)Susquehanna: $81.45 (union)Tioga: $81.45 (union)Union: $81.45 (union)Venango: $81.45 (union)Warren: $81.45 (union)Washington: $81.45 (union)Wayne: $81.45 (union)Westmoreland: $81.45 (union)Wyoming: $90.48 (union)York: $90.48 (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$40$60$80$100/hrAdams (Pennsylvania): market median $41.75, prevailing (union) $90.48, gap +$48.73Adams (Pennsylvania)+$48.73Bucks (Philadelphia): market median $41.79, prevailing (union) $90.48, gap +$48.69Bucks (Philadelphia)+$48.69Allegheny (Pittsburgh): market median $43.95, prevailing (union) $81.45, gap +$37.50Allegheny (Pittsburgh)+$37.50
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for boilermakers, metro counties in Pennsylvania.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdamsUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260073
BerksUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260076
BucksUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260078
CarbonUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260081
ChesterUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260083
ColumbiaUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260084
CumberlandUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260085
DauphinUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260086
DelawareUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260087
FranklinUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260090
LackawannaUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260091
LancasterUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260092
LebanonUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260093
LehighUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260094
LuzerneUnion BOIL0013-008 2025-01-01$55.00$35.48$90.48PA20260095

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

Is construction work growing in Pennsylvania?

272.0kConstruction jobsPennsylvania, 2026-09
-0.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k19901995200020052010201520202025272kSep 2026
Construction employment in Pennsylvania (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 64 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 139,301 in 2015 to 159,871 in 2025, +14.8%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Philadelphia County8466,693$98,589$1,896
Montgomery County1,54016,106$96,595$1,858
Delaware County9088,209$90,253$1,736
Bucks County1,63813,004$89,660$1,724
Chester County9288,219$88,826$1,708
Dauphin County2824,004$87,575$1,684
Allegheny County1,73419,111$84,965$1,634
Berks County5965,685$84,441$1,624
Lehigh County4244,680$83,544$1,607
York County6256,931$83,318$1,602
Washington County4334,102$81,236$1,562
Lawrence County124937$80,439$1,547

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Pennsylvania

More on Pennsylvania

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Pennsylvania?

The median boilermaker in Pennsylvania earned $41.75 an hour ($86,850 a year) in May 2025, 14% above the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $35.44–$46.67; the top 10% earn more than $50.17.

Where does Pennsylvania rank for boilermaker pay?

Pennsylvania ranks 12th of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $41.75 an hour, and 12th after adjusting for Pennsylvania's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.6, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Pennsylvania?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 67 counties, with a typical package of $81.45 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in Pennsylvania?

BLS counted 260 boilermakers in Pennsylvania in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.65; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is boilermaker work growing in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's labor market agency projects -6.3% growth for boilermakers between 2024 and 2034, from 480 to 450 jobs.

How many boilermaker openings a year are there in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania projects about 40 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, Pennsylvania 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: Pennsylvania labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.