Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in West Virginia

Median $30.70 an hour for 30 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$30.70/hrMedian hourly wageWest Virginia, May data
$63,850/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.57 – $44.2710th to 90th percentilehourly range
30Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Boilermaker pay in West Virginia: the full range

Wage percentiles, West VirginiaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$0$20$40$60/hrWest Virginia: 10th $18.57 · 25th $24.46 · median $30.70 · 75th $41.92 · 90th $44.27West Virginia$30.70$18.57$44.27United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: West Virginia vs United States, May 2025.

West Virginia ranks 32nd of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 30th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $34.30). 30 boilermakers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.4× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.57 – $24.46$38,630 – $50,880roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$24.46 – $41.92$50,880 – $87,190the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$41.92 – $44.27$87,190 – $92,080the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in West Virginia

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrHuntington: $32.22Huntington$32.22
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in West Virginia, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Huntington$32.22$32.22$42.27305% above

Boilermaker wages in West Virginia over time

West Virginia, 1999-2025West VirginiaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$5020002005201020152025$36.74United States$30.70West Virginia
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, West Virginia vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearWest Virginia $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$18.91$36.54$18.09170
2000$20.03$37.45$17.80100
2001$22.82$41.48$19.06180
2002$23.48$42.02$20.17150
2003$23.27$40.72$20.79180
2004$24.79$42.25$21.68210
2005$23.75$39.15$23.10100
2006$30.04$47.97$22.5830
2007$30.56$47.45$24.3840
2008$22.55$33.72$25.1340
2009$34.83$52.27$26.97550
2010$35.44$52.32$26.27420
2011$36.59$52.37$27.36420
2014$34.46$46.86$28.78—
2015$34.38$46.70$28.90—
2016$34.50$46.28$29.8490
2017$32.90$43.21$29.93110
2018$33.74$43.26$29.88100
2023$43.46$45.92$34.2050
2024$29.64$30.42$35.2640
2025$30.70$30.70$36.7430

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in West Virginia changed by -34.3% over the last ten years of data.

Are there more boilermaker jobs in West Virginia?

0.1Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.7× the US share, 19th of 33 states

BLS counted 30 boilermakers in West Virginia in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 40%. 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 West Virginia

+9.7%Projected growth in West Virginia2024–2034, state agency
0Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
30Jobs in 202430 projected for 2034
-1.8%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

West Virginia's labor market agency projects the number of boilermakers in the state to change by +9.7% between 2024 and 2034, from 30 to 30, with about 0 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects -1.8% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 30 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: West Virginia labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections.

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in West Virginia

On federally funded construction in West Virginia, contractors must pay boilermakers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 53 of the 53 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $76.06 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $30.70.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, WVBarbour: $76.06 (union)Berkeley: $76.06 (union)Boone: n/aBraxton: $76.06 (union)Brooke: $76.06 (union)Cabell: $76.06 (union)Calhoun: $76.06 (union)Clay: n/aDoddridge: $76.06 (union)Fayette: $76.06 (union)Gilmer: $76.06 (union)Grant: $76.06 (union)Greenbrier: $76.06 (union)Hampshire: $76.06 (union)Hancock: $76.06 (union)Hardy: $76.06 (union)Harrison: $76.06 (union)Jackson: $76.06 (union)Jefferson: $76.06 (union)Kanawha: $76.06 (union)Lewis: $76.06 (union)Lincoln: $76.06 (union)Logan: $76.06 (union)McDowell: $76.06 (union)Marion: $76.06 (union)Marshall: $76.06 (union)Mason: $76.06 (union)Mercer: $76.06 (union)Mineral: $76.06 (union)Mingo: $76.06 (union)Monongalia: $76.06 (union)Monroe: $76.06 (union)Morgan: $76.06 (union)Nicholas: $76.06 (union)Ohio: $76.06 (union)Pendleton: $76.06 (union)Pleasants: $76.06 (union)Pocahontas: $76.06 (union)Preston: $76.06 (union)Putnam: $76.06 (union)Raleigh: $76.06 (union)Randolph: $76.06 (union)Ritchie: $76.06 (union)Roane: $76.06 (union)Summers: $76.06 (union)Taylor: $76.06 (union)Tucker: $76.06 (union)Tyler: $76.06 (union)Upshur: $76.06 (union)Wayne: $76.06 (union)Webster: $76.06 (union)Wetzel: $76.06 (union)Wirt: $76.06 (union)Wood: $76.06 (union)Wyoming: $76.06 (union)Union / 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
BarbourUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260033
BerkeleyUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260034
BraxtonUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260004
BrookeUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260050
CabellUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260035
CalhounUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260033
DoddridgeUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260005
FayetteUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260006
GilmerUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260007
GrantUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260008
GreenbrierUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260009
HampshireUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260036
HancockUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260050
HardyUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260010
HarrisonUnion BOIL0667-005 2025-01-01$47.13$28.93$76.06WV20260011

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

Is construction work growing in West Virginia?

35.2kConstruction jobsWest Virginia, 2026-09
-5.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k30k40k50k60k1990199520002005201020152020202535kSep 2026
Construction employment in West Virginia (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 38 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 14,371 in 2015 to 15,870 in 2025, +10.4%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
McDowell County512$83,385$1,604
Brooke County18143$82,021$1,577
Putnam County1061,081$81,436$1,566
Cabell County1351,328$76,653$1,474
Marshall County27328$76,068$1,463
Kanawha County2542,097$75,814$1,458
Mineral County28205$72,925$1,402
Harrison County1021,125$72,447$1,393
Lewis County20291$72,256$1,390
Wood County1021,098$72,016$1,385
Wetzel County19182$71,927$1,383
Monongalia County1741,370$71,329$1,372

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in West Virginia

More on West Virginia

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in West Virginia?

The median boilermaker in West Virginia earned $30.70 an hour ($63,850 a year) in May 2025, 16% below the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $24.46–$41.92; the top 10% earn more than $44.27.

Where does West Virginia rank for boilermaker pay?

West Virginia ranks 32nd of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $30.70 an hour, and 30th after adjusting for West Virginia's cost of living (BEA price parity 89.5, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in West Virginia?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 53 counties, with a typical package of $76.06 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in West Virginia?

BLS counted 30 boilermakers in West Virginia in May 2025, 0.1 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.70; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is boilermaker work growing in West Virginia?

West Virginia's labor market agency projects +9.7% growth for boilermakers between 2024 and 2034, from 30 to 30 jobs.

How many boilermaker openings a year are there in West Virginia?

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