Skilled Wages

Ironworker salary in South Dakota

Median $27.43 an hour for 440 structural iron and steel workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$27.43/hrMedian hourly wageSouth Dakota, May data
$57,050/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$21.82 – $35.9610th to 90th percentilehourly range
440Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Ironworker pay in South Dakota: the full range

Wage percentiles, South DakotaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrSouth Dakota: 10th $21.82 · 25th $23.08 · median $27.43 · 75th $29.01 · 90th $35.96South Dakota$27.43$21.82$35.96United 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: South Dakota vs United States, May 2025.

South Dakota ranks 38th of 50 states for median ironworker pay, and 28th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.96). 440 structural iron and steel workers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$21.82 – $23.08$45,380 – $48,000roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$23.08 – $29.01$48,000 – $60,330the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$29.01 – $35.96$60,330 – $74,800the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Ironworker pay by metro in South Dakota

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30/hrSioux Falls: $28.46Sioux Falls$28.46Rapid City: $23.60Rapid City$23.60
Median hourly wage for structural iron and steel workers by metro area in South Dakota, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Sioux Falls$22.67$28.46$36.602004% above
Rapid City$21.82$23.60$34.3817014% below

Ironworker wages in South Dakota over time

South Dakota, 1999-2025South DakotaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$30.18United States$27.43South Dakota
Median hourly wage for structural iron and steel workers, South Dakota vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearSouth Dakota $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$11.61$22.44$17.19—
2000$10.85$20.29$17.92140
2001$10.72$19.49$18.72300
2002$11.16$19.97$19.55320
2003$11.64$20.37$19.58350
2004$13.18$22.46$20.40400
2005$13.48$22.22$19.51300
2006$12.41$19.82$19.46370
2007$13.27$20.60$20.26290
2008$12.98$19.41$20.68260
2009$17.07$25.62$21.40210
2010$16.68$24.63$21.42360
2011$16.99$24.32$21.97490
2012$17.18$24.09$22.18370
2013$16.08$22.22$22.36370
2014$17.85$24.27$23.17560
2015$16.30$22.14$24.28900
2016$18.01$24.16$24.91750
2017$17.99$23.63$25.30870
2018$20.05$25.71$25.95750
2019$19.42$24.46$26.46730
2020$20.35$25.31$26.36960
2021$22.51$26.74$28.151,100
2022$22.61$24.87$29.09850
2023$23.59$24.92$30.17820
2024$24.97$25.63$30.14470
2025$27.43$27.43$30.18440

In today's dollars, the median ironworker wage in South Dakota changed by +23.9% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for ironworkers in South Dakota

On federally funded construction in South Dakota, contractors must pay ironworkers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 58 of the 66 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $46.28 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $35.96). 8 of the 66 counties still use a survey rate dated 2014 or earlier (for example Custer County at $35.96). The market median for the state is $27.43.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, SDAurora: $46.28 (union)Beadle: $46.28 (union)Bennett: $46.28 (union)Bon Homme: $46.28 (union)Brookings: $46.28 (union)Brown: $46.28 (union)Brule: $46.28 (union)Buffalo: $46.28 (union)Butte: $46.28 (union)Campbell: $46.28 (union)Charles Mix: $46.28 (union)Clark: $46.28 (union)Clay: $46.28 (union)Codington: $46.28 (union)Corson: $46.28 (union)Custer: $35.96 (survey)Davison: $46.28 (union)Day: $46.28 (union)Deuel: $46.28 (union)Dewey: $46.28 (union)Douglas: $46.28 (union)Edmunds: $46.28 (union)Fall River: $46.28 (union)Faulk: $46.28 (union)Grant: $46.28 (union)Gregory: $46.28 (union)Haakon: $46.28 (union)Hamlin: $46.28 (union)Hand: $46.28 (union)Hanson: $46.28 (union)Harding: $46.28 (union)Hughes: $46.28 (union)Hutchinson: $46.28 (union)Hyde: $46.28 (union)Jackson: $46.28 (union)Jerauld: $46.28 (union)Jones: $46.28 (union)Kingsbury: $46.28 (union)Lake: $46.28 (union)Lawrence: $46.28 (union)Lincoln: $35.96 (survey)Lyman: $46.28 (union)McCook: $35.96 (survey)McPherson: $46.28 (union)Marshall: $46.28 (union)Meade: $35.96 (survey)Mellette: $46.28 (union)Miner: $46.28 (union)Minnehaha: $35.96 (survey)Moody: $46.28 (union)Oglala Lakota: $46.28 (union)Pennington: $35.96 (survey)Perkins: $46.28 (union)Potter: $46.28 (union)Roberts: $46.28 (union)Sanborn: $46.28 (union)Spink: $46.28 (union)Stanley: $46.28 (union)Sully: $46.28 (union)Todd: $46.28 (union)Tripp: $46.28 (union)Turner: $35.96 (survey)Union: $35.96 (survey)Walworth: $46.28 (union)Yankton: $46.28 (union)Ziebach: $46.28 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hrsurvey 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 (survey)$20$25$30$35$40/hrCuster (Rapid City): market median $23.60, prevailing (survey) $35.96, gap +$12.36Custer (Rapid City)+$12.36Union (South Dakota): market median $27.43, prevailing (survey) $35.96, gap +$8.53Union (South Dakota)+$8.53Lincoln (Sioux Falls): market median $28.46, prevailing (survey) $35.96, gap +$7.50Lincoln (Sioux Falls)+$7.50
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for ironworkers, metro counties in South Dakota.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AuroraUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260004
BeadleUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260021
BennettUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260022
Bon HommeUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260023
BrookingsUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260005
BrownUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260006
BruleUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260022
BuffaloUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260007
ButteUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260008
CampbellUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260009
Charles MixUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260010
ClarkUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260021
ClayUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260023
CodingtonUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260011
CorsonUnion IRON0021-018 2024-05-01$30.80$15.48$46.28SD20260024

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the South Dakota prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in South Dakota?

33.2kConstruction jobsSouth Dakota, 2026-08
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-20260k10k20k30k40k1990199520002005201020152020202533kAug 2026
Construction employment in South Dakota (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Ironworker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in South Dakota

Questions this page answers

How much do ironworkers make in South Dakota?

The median ironworker in South Dakota earned $27.43 an hour ($57,050 a year) in May 2025, 9% below the national median of $30.18. The middle half earn $23.08–$29.01; the top 10% earn more than $35.96.

Where does South Dakota rank for ironworker pay?

South Dakota ranks 38th of 50 states for ironworker pay, with a median of $27.43 an hour, and 28th after adjusting for South Dakota's cost of living (BEA price parity 88.6, US = 100).

What is the union ironworker rate in South Dakota?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for ironworkers in 58 counties, with a typical package of $46.28 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many ironworkers work in South Dakota?

BLS counted 440 structural iron and steel workers in South Dakota in May 2025, 1.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.18; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, South Dakota 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.