Skilled Wages

Ironworker salary in Idaho

Median $34.98 an hour for 500 ironworkers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$34.98/hrMedian hourly wageIdaho, May data
$72,750/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.93 – $38.5310th to 90th percentilehourly range
500Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Ironworker pay in Idaho: the full range

Wage percentiles, IdahoMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIdaho: 10th $23.93 · 25th $27.02 · median $34.98 · 75th $36.13 · 90th $38.53Idaho$34.98$23.93$38.53United States: 10th $21.43 · 25th $23.98 · median $30.18 · 75th $39.74 · 90th $52.05United States$30.18
Hourly wage percentiles for ironworkers: Idaho vs United States, May 2025.

Idaho ranks 18th of 50 states for median ironworker pay, and 18th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $36.63). 500 ironworkers work in the state. The top 10% earn 1.6× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$23.93 – $27.02$49,780 – $56,200roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$27.02 – $36.13$56,200 – $75,150the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$36.13 – $38.53$75,150 – $80,140the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Ironworker pay by metro in Idaho

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrBoise: $37.47Boise$37.47Logan: $23.32Logan$23.32
Median hourly wage for ironworkers by metro area in Idaho, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Boise$23.34$37.47$38.08$49.372007% above
Logan$19.02$23.32$24.32$34.585033% below

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

Ironworker wages in Idaho over time

Idaho, 1999-2025IdahoUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$34.98Idaho$30.18United States
Median hourly wage for ironworkers, Idaho vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIdaho $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$10.10$19.52$17.19—
2000$17.37$32.47$17.92340
2001$17.93$32.59$18.72370
2002$17.69$31.66$19.55290
2003$17.34$30.34$19.58260
2004$10.71$18.25$20.40180
2005$12.82$21.13$19.51230
2006$12.96$20.70$19.46350
2007$16.70$25.93$20.26—
2008$16.48$24.64$20.68340
2009$18.48$27.73$21.40400
2010$18.39$27.15$21.42310
2011$20.24$28.97$21.97250
2012$23.17$32.49$22.18150
2013$18.35$25.36$22.36300
2014$18.18$24.72$23.17300
2015$17.61$23.92$24.28470
2016$19.21$25.77$24.91420
2017$17.78$23.35$25.30280
2018$18.59$23.83$25.95310
2019$17.88$22.52$26.46290
2020$24.08$29.95$26.36590
2021$20.78$24.69$28.15490
2022$23.27$25.60$29.09420
2023$25.47$26.91$30.17240
2024$29.90$30.69$30.14400
2025$34.98$34.98$30.18500

In today's dollars, the median ironworker wage in Idaho changed by +46.2% over the last ten years of data and by +55.4% since 2019.

Are there more ironworker jobs in Idaho?

0.6Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.3× the US share, 14th of 49 states

BLS counted 500 ironworkers in Idaho 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 ironworkers in Idaho

+21.0%Projected growth in Idaho2024–2034, state agency
90Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
800Jobs in 2024970 projected for 2034
+3.1%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Idaho's labor market agency projects the number of ironworkers in the state to change by +21.0% between 2024 and 2034, from 800 to 970, with about 90 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.1% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 500 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for ironworkers in Idaho

On federally funded construction in Idaho, contractors must pay ironworkers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 43 of the 43 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $56.35 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $34.98.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, IDAda: $56.35 (union)Adams: $73.67 (union)Bannock: $56.35 (union)Bear Lake: $56.35 (union)Benewah: $73.67 (union)Bingham: $56.35 (union)Blaine: $56.35 (union)Boise: $56.35 (union)Bonner: $73.67 (union)Bonneville: $58.65 (union)Boundary: n/aButte: $58.65 (union)Camas: $56.35 (union)Canyon: $56.35 (union)Caribou: $56.35 (union)Cassia: $56.35 (union)Clark: $56.35 (union)Clearwater: $73.67 (union)Custer: $56.35 (union)Elmore: $73.67 (union)Franklin: $56.35 (union)Fremont: $56.35 (union)Gem: $56.35 (union)Gooding: $56.35 (union)Idaho: $73.67 (union)Jefferson: $58.65 (union)Jerome: $56.35 (union)Kootenai: $73.67 (union)Latah: $73.67 (union)Lemhi: $56.35 (union)Lewis: $73.67 (union)Lincoln: $56.35 (union)Madison: $56.35 (union)Minidoka: $56.35 (union)Nez Perce: $73.67 (union)Oneida: $56.35 (union)Owyhee: $56.35 (union)Payette: $73.67 (union)Power: $56.35 (union)Shoshone: $73.67 (union)Teton: $56.35 (union)Twin Falls: $56.35 (union)Valley: $73.67 (union)Washington: $73.67 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$56.81n/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for ironworkers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$0$20$40$60$80/hrKootenai (Idaho): market median $34.98, prevailing (union) $73.67, gap +$38.69Kootenai (Idaho)+$38.69Franklin (Logan): market median $23.32, prevailing (union) $56.35, gap +$33.03Franklin (Logan)+$33.03Ada (Boise): market median $37.47, prevailing (union) $56.35, gap +$18.88Ada (Boise)+$18.88
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for ironworkers, metro counties in Idaho.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AdamsUnion IRON0014-018 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260020
BenewahUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260008
BonnerUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260010
ClearwaterUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260014
ElmoreUnion IRON0014-018 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260020
IdahoUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260024
KootenaiUnion IRON0014-007 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260107
LatahUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260015
LewisUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260024
Nez PerceUnion IRON0014-007 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260107
PayetteUnion IRON0014-018 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260020
ShoshoneUnion IRON0014-003 2025-06-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260018
ValleyUnion IRON0014-018 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260020
WashingtonUnion IRON0014-018 2025-07-03$43.40$30.27$73.67ID20260020
BonnevilleUnion IRON0732-005 2022-06-01$35.19$23.46$58.65ID20260100

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

Is construction work growing in Idaho?

78.0kConstruction jobsIdaho, 2026-09
+1.7%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k20k40k60k80k100k1990199520002005201020152020202578kSep 2026
Construction employment in Idaho (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Ironworker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Idaho

More on Idaho

Questions this page answers

How much do ironworkers make in Idaho?

The median ironworker in Idaho earned $34.98 an hour ($72,750 a year) in May 2025, 16% above the national median of $30.18. The middle half earn $27.02–$36.13; the top 10% earn more than $38.53.

Where does Idaho rank for ironworker pay?

Idaho ranks 18th of 50 states for ironworker pay, with a median of $34.98 an hour, and 18th after adjusting for Idaho's cost of living (BEA price parity 95.5, US = 100).

What is the union ironworker rate in Idaho?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for ironworkers in 43 counties, with a typical package of $56.35 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many ironworkers work in Idaho?

BLS counted 500 ironworkers in Idaho in May 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.32; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is ironworker work growing in Idaho?

Idaho's labor market agency projects +21.0% growth for ironworkers between 2024 and 2034, from 800 to 970 jobs.

How many ironworker openings a year are there in Idaho?

Idaho projects about 90 openings a year for ironworkers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 5,900 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Idaho and metro areas, SOC 47-2221. 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: Idaho labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.