Skilled Wages

Ironworker salary in Pennsylvania

Median $39.89 an hour for 1,610 structural iron and steel workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$39.89/hrMedian hourly wagePennsylvania, May data
$82,970/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$24.79 – $53.2110th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,610Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Ironworker pay in Pennsylvania: the full range

Wage percentiles, PennsylvaniaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrPennsylvania: 10th $24.79 · 25th $31.92 · median $39.89 · 75th $49.96 · 90th $53.21Pennsylvania$39.89$24.79$53.21United States: 10th $21.43 · 25th $23.98 · median $30.18 · 75th $39.74 · 90th $52.05United States$30.18
Hourly wage percentiles for structural iron and steel workers: Pennsylvania vs United States, May 2025.

Pennsylvania ranks 11th of 50 states for median ironworker pay, and 14th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $40.87). 1,610 structural iron and steel workers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$24.79 – $31.92$51,550 – $66,390roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$31.92 – $49.96$66,390 – $103,920the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$49.96 – $53.21$103,920 – $110,680the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Ironworker pay by metro in Pennsylvania

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrPhiladelphia: $49.68Philadelphia$49.68Allentown: $40.21Allentown$40.21Pittsburgh: $39.84Pittsburgh$39.84Scranton: $38.72Scranton$38.72Lancaster: $36.03Lancaster$36.03Reading: $32.48Reading$32.48
Median hourly wage for structural iron and steel workers by metro area in Pennsylvania, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Philadelphia$25.36$49.68$58.3880025% above
Allentown$34.66$40.21$52.771501% above
Pittsburgh$27.08$39.84$51.03370about the same as
Scranton$20.71$38.72$49.04703% below
Lancaster$25.36$36.03$51.7714010% below
Reading$23.90$32.48$48.004019% below

Ironworker wages in Pennsylvania over time

Pennsylvania, 1999-2025PennsylvaniaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$39.89Pennsylvania$30.18United States
Median hourly wage for structural iron and steel workers, Pennsylvania vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearPennsylvania $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$22.67$43.81$17.192,910
2000$23.24$43.45$17.922,800
2001$22.55$40.99$18.722,800
2002$23.74$42.48$19.553,200
2003$23.62$41.33$19.583,030
2004$21.67$36.93$20.403,260
2005$24.19$39.88$19.512,720
2006$23.46$37.46$19.463,040
2007$22.48$34.91$20.262,880
2008$24.36$36.43$20.682,320
2009$24.45$36.69$21.401,920
2010$25.12$37.09$21.421,770
2011$22.60$32.35$21.971,790
2012$21.99$30.83$22.181,850
2013$21.90$30.27$22.361,660
2014$23.38$31.80$23.171,740
2015$24.70$33.55$24.281,550
2016$25.79$34.59$24.911,800
2017$25.55$33.56$25.301,930
2018$27.62$35.41$25.952,550
2019$26.78$33.72$26.462,550
2020$27.38$34.06$26.362,700
2021$23.66$28.11$28.151,780
2022$35.73$39.31$29.091,690
2023$36.77$38.85$30.171,650
2024$39.14$40.17$30.141,290
2025$39.89$39.89$30.181,610

In today's dollars, the median ironworker wage in Pennsylvania changed by +18.9% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for ironworkers in Pennsylvania

On federally funded construction in Pennsylvania, contractors must pay ironworkers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 64 of the 67 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $69.89 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $55.47). 3 of the 67 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Carbon County at $55.47). The market median for the state is $39.89.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, PAAdams: $69.89 (union)Allegheny: $73.43 (union)Armstrong: $73.43 (union)Beaver: $73.43 (union)Bedford: $64.70 (union)Berks: $69.89 (union)Blair: $64.70 (union)Bradford: $69.89 (union)Bucks: $101.80 (union)Butler: $73.43 (union)Cambria: $73.43 (union)Cameron: $64.70 (union)Carbon: $55.47 (survey)Centre: $64.70 (union)Chester: $101.80 (union)Clarion: $73.43 (union)Clearfield: $64.70 (union)Clinton: $64.70 (union)Columbia: $69.89 (union)Crawford: $65.80 (union)Cumberland: $47.16 (survey)Dauphin: $69.89 (union)Delaware: $101.80 (union)Elk: $64.70 (union)Erie: $65.80 (union)Fayette: $73.43 (union)Forest: $65.80 (union)Franklin: $69.89 (union)Fulton: $64.70 (union)Greene: $73.43 (union)Huntingdon: $64.70 (union)Indiana: $73.43 (union)Jefferson: $64.70 (union)Juniata: $69.89 (union)Lackawanna: $69.89 (union)Lancaster: $69.89 (union)Lawrence: $64.42 (union)Lebanon: $69.89 (union)Lehigh: $56.66 (survey)Luzerne: $69.89 (union)Lycoming: $69.89 (union)McKean: $64.70 (union)Mercer: $64.42 (union)Mifflin: $69.89 (union)Monroe: $69.89 (union)Montgomery: $101.80 (union)Montour: $69.89 (union)Northampton: $69.89 (union)Northumberland: $69.89 (union)Perry: $69.89 (union)Philadelphia: $101.80 (union)Pike: $69.89 (union)Potter: $64.70 (union)Schuylkill: $69.89 (union)Snyder: $69.89 (union)Somerset: $64.70 (union)Sullivan: $69.89 (union)Susquehanna: $69.89 (union)Tioga: $69.89 (union)Union: $69.89 (union)Venango: $64.42 (union)Warren: $65.80 (union)Washington: $73.43 (union)Wayne: $69.89 (union)Westmoreland: $73.43 (union)Wyoming: $69.89 (union)York: $69.89 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$64.70$69.89$73.43survey 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)$25$50$75$100$125/hrBucks (Philadelphia): market median $49.68, prevailing (union) $101.80, gap +$52.12Bucks (Philadelphia)+$52.12Berks (Reading): market median $32.48, prevailing (union) $69.89, gap +$37.41Berks (Reading)+$37.41Lancaster (Lancaster): market median $36.03, prevailing (union) $69.89, gap +$33.86Lancaster (Lancaster)+$33.86Allegheny (Pittsburgh): market median $39.84, prevailing (union) $73.43, gap +$33.59Allegheny (Pittsburgh)+$33.59Cambria (Pennsylvania): market median $39.89, prevailing (union) $73.43, gap +$33.54Cambria (Pennsylvania)+$33.54Lackawanna (Scranton): market median $38.72, prevailing (union) $69.89, gap +$31.17Lackawanna (Scranton)+$31.17Northampton (Allentown): market median $40.21, prevailing (union) $69.89, gap +$29.68Northampton (Allentown)+$29.68
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for ironworkers, metro counties in Pennsylvania.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
BucksUnion IRON0401-006 2025-07-01$56.50$45.30$101.80PA20260078
ChesterUnion IRON0401-006 2025-07-01$56.50$45.30$101.80PA20260083
DelawareUnion IRON0401-006 2025-07-01$56.50$45.30$101.80PA20260087
MontgomeryUnion IRON0401-006 2025-07-01$56.50$45.30$101.80PA20260099
PhiladelphiaUnion IRON0401-002 2025-07-01$56.50$45.30$101.80PA20260003
AlleghenyUnion IRON0003-002 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260001
ArmstrongUnion IRON0003-021 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260074
BeaverUnion IRON0003-025 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260075
ButlerUnion IRON0003-021 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260079
CambriaUnion IRON0003-022 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260080
ClarionUnion IRON0003-014 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260046
FayetteUnion IRON0003-021 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260089
GreeneUnion IRON0003-016 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260053
IndianaUnion IRON0003-026 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260055
WashingtonUnion IRON0003-021 2023-06-01$38.89$34.54$73.43PA20260104

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. 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?

272.7kConstruction jobsPennsylvania, 2026-08
-0.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k19901995200020052010201520202025273kAug 2026
Construction employment in Pennsylvania (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Ironworker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Pennsylvania

Questions this page answers

How much do ironworkers make in Pennsylvania?

The median ironworker in Pennsylvania earned $39.89 an hour ($82,970 a year) in May 2025, 32% above the national median of $30.18. The middle half earn $31.92–$49.96; the top 10% earn more than $53.21.

Where does Pennsylvania rank for ironworker pay?

Pennsylvania ranks 11th of 50 states for ironworker pay, with a median of $39.89 an hour, and 14th after adjusting for Pennsylvania's cost of living (BEA price parity 97.6, US = 100).

What is the union ironworker rate in Pennsylvania?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for ironworkers in 64 counties, with a typical package of $69.89 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many ironworkers work in Pennsylvania?

BLS counted 1,610 structural iron and steel workers in Pennsylvania in May 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.60; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Pennsylvania and metro areas, SOC 47-2221.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.