Skilled Wages

Ironworker salary in Indiana

Median $33.72 an hour for 2,750 ironworkers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$33.72/hrMedian hourly wageIndiana, May data
$70,130/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$21.98 – $47.5210th to 90th percentilehourly range
2,750Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Ironworker pay in Indiana: the full range

Wage percentiles, IndianaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrIndiana: 10th $21.98 · 25th $27.32 · median $33.72 · 75th $38.83 · 90th $47.52Indiana$33.72$21.98$47.52United States: 10th $21.43 · 25th $23.98 · median $30.18 · 75th $39.74 · 90th $52.05United States$30.18
Hourly wage percentiles for ironworkers: Indiana vs United States, May 2025.

Indiana ranks 21st of 50 states for median ironworker pay, and 20th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $36.14). 2,750 ironworkers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.2× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$21.98 – $27.32$45,720 – $56,830roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$27.32 – $38.83$56,830 – $80,770the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$38.83 – $47.52$80,770 – $98,840the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Ironworker pay by metro in Indiana

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrChicago: $49.21Chicago$49.21Evansville: $36.58Evansville$36.58Cincinnati: $36.39Cincinnati$36.39South Bend: $35.41South Bend$35.41Indianapolis: $33.72Indianapolis$33.72Louisville: $33.31Louisville$33.31Fort Wayne: $32.47Fort Wayne$32.47Elkhart: $29.99Elkhart$29.99Terre Haute: $25.07Terre Haute$25.07
Median hourly wage for ironworkers by metro area in Indiana, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Chicago$31.07$49.21$47.50$59.872,12046% above
Evansville$21.86$36.58$39.98$45.861808% above
Cincinnati$23.27$36.39$38.14$42.484808% above
South Bend$22.99$35.41$38.12$44.74505% above
Indianapolis$22.27$33.72$35.24$46.931,110about the same as
Louisville$24.71$33.31$35.78$42.333101% below
Fort Wayne$21.45$32.47$35.06$44.321904% below
Elkhart$22.53$29.99$33.21$37.738011% below
Terre Haute$20.50$25.07$28.55$43.193026% below

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

Ironworker wages in Indiana over time

Indiana, 1999-2025IndianaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$33.72Indiana$30.18United States
Median hourly wage for ironworkers, Indiana vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIndiana $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$19.66$37.99$17.192,330
2000$19.68$36.79$17.922,060
2001$21.60$39.27$18.722,240
2002$21.66$38.76$19.552,000
2003$23.31$40.79$19.581,740
2004$24.41$41.60$20.401,960
2005$23.29$38.39$19.512,010
2006$23.66$37.78$19.461,950
2007$23.46$36.43$20.261,970
2008$24.03$35.93$20.682,220
2009$24.02$36.05$21.401,950
2010$21.01$31.02$21.421,730
2011$21.10$30.20$21.971,550
2012$23.45$32.88$22.181,540
2013$26.13$36.11$22.361,640
2014$23.27$31.65$23.171,930
2015$24.49$33.27$24.281,970
2016$23.89$32.05$24.911,850
2017$24.65$32.38$25.301,890
2018$25.77$33.04$25.951,870
2019$24.32$30.63$26.462,060
2020$25.71$31.98$26.362,160
2021$28.60$33.98$28.152,690
2022$30.10$33.11$29.092,350
2023$31.52$33.30$30.172,290
2024$35.68$36.62$30.142,530
2025$33.72$33.72$30.182,750

In today's dollars, the median ironworker wage in Indiana changed by +1.4% over the last ten years of data and by +10.1% since 2019.

Are there more ironworker jobs in Indiana?

0.9Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 1.9× the US share, 5th of 49 states

BLS counted 2,750 ironworkers in Indiana in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 9%. 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 Indiana

+5.3%Projected growth in Indiana2024–2034, state agency
220Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
2,570Jobs in 20242,700 projected for 2034
+3.1%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Indiana's labor market agency projects the number of ironworkers in the state to change by +5.3% between 2024 and 2034, from 2,570 to 2,700, with about 220 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +3.1% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 2,750 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for ironworkers in Indiana

On federally funded construction in Indiana, contractors must pay ironworkers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 83 of the 87 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $64.39 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $10.00). 4 of the 87 counties still use a survey rate dated 1996 or earlier (for example Jackson County at $7.50). The market median for the state is $33.72.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, INAdams: $64.76 (union)Allen: $64.76 (union)Bartholomew: $64.76 (union)Benton: $64.76 (union)Blackford: $64.76 (union)Boone: $64.76 (union)Brown: $61.67 (union)Carroll: $64.76 (union)Cass: $64.76 (union)Clark: $61.67 (union)Clay: $64.39 (union)Clinton: $64.76 (union)Crawford: $61.97 (union)Daviess: n/aDearborn: $61.67 (union)Decatur: $61.67 (union)DeKalb: $64.76 (union)Delaware: $64.76 (union)Dubois: $61.09 (union)Elkhart: $62.32 (union)Fayette: $61.67 (union)Floyd: $61.67 (union)Fountain: $64.76 (union)Franklin: $61.67 (union)Fulton: $64.76 (union)Gibson: $64.39 (union)Grant: $64.76 (union)Greene: $64.39 (union)Hamilton: $64.76 (union)Hancock: $64.76 (union)Harrison: $61.67 (union)Hendricks: $64.76 (union)Henry: $61.67 (union)Howard: $64.76 (union)Huntington: $64.76 (union)Jackson: $7.50 (survey)Jasper: $62.32 (union)Jay: $64.76 (union)Jefferson: $10.00 (survey)Jennings: $61.67 (union)Johnson: $64.76 (union)Knox: $61.09 (union)Kosciusko: $62.32 (union)LaGrange: $62.32 (union)Lake: $89.03 (union)LaPorte: $89.03 (union)Lawrence: n/aMadison: $64.76 (union)Marion: $64.76 (union)Marshall: $62.32 (union)Martin: n/aMiami: $64.76 (union)Monroe: $64.76 (union)Montgomery: $64.76 (union)Morgan: $64.76 (union)Newton: $62.32 (union)Noble: $64.76 (union)Ohio: $61.67 (union)Orange: n/aOwen: $64.39 (union)Parke: $64.39 (union)Perry: $61.97 (union)Pike: $61.09 (union)Porter: $89.03 (union)Posey: $64.39 (union)Pulaski: $62.32 (union)Putnam: $64.39 (union)Randolph: $61.67 (union)Ripley: $61.67 (union)Rush: $61.67 (union)St. Joseph: $89.03 (union)Scott: $10.00 (survey)Shelby: $64.76 (union)Spencer: $10.88 (survey)Starke: $62.32 (union)Steuben: $64.76 (union)Sullivan: $64.39 (union)Switzerland: $61.67 (union)Tippecanoe: $64.76 (union)Tipton: $64.76 (union)Union: $61.67 (union)Vanderburgh: $64.39 (union)Vermillion: $64.39 (union)Vigo: $64.39 (union)Wabash: $64.76 (union)Warren: $64.76 (union)Warrick: $64.39 (union)Washington: n/aWayne: $61.67 (union)Wells: $64.76 (union)White: $64.76 (union)Whitley: $64.76 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$61.67$64.39$64.76n/asurvey rate
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$100/hrLaPorte (Indiana): market median $33.72, prevailing (union) $89.03, gap +$55.31LaPorte (Indiana)+$55.31St. Joseph (South Bend): market median $35.41, prevailing (union) $89.03, gap +$53.62St. Joseph (South Bend)+$53.62Lake (Chicago): market median $49.21, prevailing (union) $89.03, gap +$39.82Lake (Chicago)+$39.82Clay (Terre Haute): market median $25.07, prevailing (union) $64.39, gap +$39.32Clay (Terre Haute)+$39.32Elkhart (Elkhart): market median $29.99, prevailing (union) $62.32, gap +$32.33Elkhart (Elkhart)+$32.33Allen (Fort Wayne): market median $32.47, prevailing (union) $64.76, gap +$32.29Allen (Fort Wayne)+$32.29Boone (Indianapolis): market median $33.72, prevailing (union) $64.76, gap +$31.04Boone (Indianapolis)+$31.04Clark (Louisville): market median $33.31, prevailing (union) $61.67, gap +$28.36Clark (Louisville)+$28.36Posey (Evansville): market median $36.58, prevailing (union) $64.39, gap +$27.81Posey (Evansville)+$27.81Dearborn (Cincinnati): market median $36.39, prevailing (union) $61.67, gap +$25.28Dearborn (Cincinnati)+$25.28
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for ironworkers, metro counties in Indiana.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
LakeUnion IRON0395-001 2025-06-01$47.75$41.28$89.03IN20260001
LaPorteUnion IRON0395-001 2025-06-01$47.75$41.28$89.03IN20260001
PorterUnion IRON0395-001 2025-06-01$47.75$41.28$89.03IN20260001
St. JosephUnion IRON0395-001 2025-06-01$47.75$41.28$89.03IN20260001
AdamsUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
AllenUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
BartholomewUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
BentonUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
BlackfordUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
BooneUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
CarrollUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
CassUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
ClintonUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
DeKalbUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002
DelawareUnion IRON0292-006 2025-06-01$39.76$25.00$64.76IN20260002

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

Is construction work growing in Indiana?

185.6kConstruction jobsIndiana, 2026-09
+2.1%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025186kSep 2026
Construction employment in Indiana (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Ironworker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Indiana

More on Indiana

Questions this page answers

How much do ironworkers make in Indiana?

The median ironworker in Indiana earned $33.72 an hour ($70,130 a year) in May 2025, 12% above the national median of $30.18. The middle half earn $27.32–$38.83; the top 10% earn more than $47.52.

Where does Indiana rank for ironworker pay?

Indiana ranks 21st of 50 states for ironworker pay, with a median of $33.72 an hour, and 20th after adjusting for Indiana's cost of living (BEA price parity 93.3, US = 100).

What is the union ironworker rate in Indiana?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for ironworkers in 83 counties, with a typical package of $64.39 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many ironworkers work in Indiana?

BLS counted 2,750 ironworkers in Indiana in May 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 1.95; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is ironworker work growing in Indiana?

Indiana's labor market agency projects +5.3% growth for ironworkers between 2024 and 2034, from 2,570 to 2,700 jobs.

How many ironworker openings a year are there in Indiana?

Indiana projects about 220 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, Indiana 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: Indiana labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.