Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Tennessee

Median $24.91 an hour for 180 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$24.91/hrMedian hourly wageTennessee, May data
$51,810/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$22.66 – $53.2010th 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 Tennessee: the full range

Wage percentiles, TennesseeMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50$60/hrTennessee: 10th $22.66 · 25th $24.00 · median $24.91 · 75th $50.66 · 90th $53.20Tennessee$24.91$22.66$53.20United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Tennessee vs United States, May 2025.

Tennessee ranks 35th of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 35th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $27.11). 180 boilermakers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.3× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$22.66 – $24.00$47,130 – $49,910roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$24.00 – $50.66$49,910 – $105,370the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$50.66 – $53.20$105,370 – $110,660the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in Tennessee

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrKnoxville: $24.72Knoxville$24.72
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in Tennessee, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Knoxville$24.72$24.72$53.20501% below

Boilermaker wages in Tennessee over time

Tennessee, 1999-2025TennesseeUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$36.74United States$24.91Tennessee
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Tennessee vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTennessee $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$22.19$42.88$18.09400
2000$18.73$35.02$17.801,170
2001$18.86$34.28$19.06—
2002$19.46$34.82$20.17720
2003$19.86$34.75$20.79900
2004$19.66$33.51$21.68200
2005$23.90$39.40$23.10220
2006$25.11$40.10$22.58300
2007$26.12$40.56$24.38240
2008$25.06$37.47$25.13270
2009$24.90$37.37$26.97150
2010$26.24$38.74$26.27310
2011$25.35$36.28$27.36340
2012$29.91$41.94$27.19540
2013$29.98$41.43$27.74570
2014——$28.78270
2015$29.14$39.58$28.90290
2016$32.34$43.38$29.84280
2017$27.09$35.58$29.93430
2018$34.94$44.80$29.88410
2019$24.77$31.19$30.34420
2020$24.33$30.26$31.42370
2021$29.50$35.05$30.91540
2022$31.51$34.66$32.17350
2023$36.61$38.68$34.20180
2024$23.95$24.58$35.26290
2025$24.91$24.91$36.74180

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in Tennessee changed by -37.1% over the last ten years of data and by -20.1% since 2019.

Are there more boilermaker jobs in Tennessee?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.8× the US share, 13th of 33 states

BLS counted 180 boilermakers in Tennessee in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 11%. 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 Tennessee

+4.2%Projected growth in Tennessee2024–2034, state agency
20Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
210Jobs in 2024220 projected for 2034
-1.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Tennessee's labor market agency projects the number of boilermakers in the state to change by +4.2% between 2024 and 2034, from 210 to 220, 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: Tennessee labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Is construction work growing in Tennessee?

169.4kConstruction jobsTennessee, 2026-09
+0.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025169kSep 2026
Construction employment in Tennessee (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 80 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 69,010 in 2015 to 102,706 in 2025, +48.8%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Bedford County100921$94,972$1,826
Haywood County27235$90,389$1,738
Roane County54598$87,468$1,682
Marion County28286$87,072$1,674
Williamson County4245,452$85,205$1,639
Davidson County1,18420,362$85,012$1,635
Shelby County85513,271$84,922$1,633
Anderson County941,351$81,706$1,571
Wilson County3042,332$79,342$1,526
Sumner County3383,111$79,181$1,523
Robertson County1521,220$77,372$1,488
Rutherford County5704,977$76,799$1,477

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Tennessee

More on Tennessee

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Tennessee?

The median boilermaker in Tennessee earned $24.91 an hour ($51,810 a year) in May 2025, 32% below the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $24.00–$50.66; the top 10% earn more than $53.20.

Where does Tennessee rank for boilermaker pay?

Tennessee ranks 35th of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $24.91 an hour, and 35th after adjusting for Tennessee's cost of living (BEA price parity 91.9, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Tennessee?

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

How many boilermakers work in Tennessee?

BLS counted 180 boilermakers in Tennessee in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.83; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is boilermaker work growing in Tennessee?

Tennessee's labor market agency projects +4.2% growth for boilermakers between 2024 and 2034, from 210 to 220 jobs.

How many boilermaker openings a year are there in Tennessee?

Tennessee 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, Tennessee 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: Tennessee labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.