Skilled Wages

Sheet metal worker salary in Tennessee

Median $28.45 an hour for 1,850 sheet metal workers, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$28.45/hrMedian hourly wageTennessee, May data
$59,170/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$18.61 – $38.1510th to 90th percentilehourly range
1,850Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Sheet metal worker pay in Tennessee: the full range

Wage percentiles, TennesseeMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrTennessee: 10th $18.61 · 25th $21.74 · median $28.45 · 75th $35.40 · 90th $38.15Tennessee$28.45$18.61$38.15United States: 10th $18.57 · 25th $22.99 · median $29.71 · 75th $39.24 · 90th $50.79United States$29.71
Hourly wage percentiles for sheet metal workers: Tennessee vs United States, May 2025.

Tennessee ranks 32nd of 50 states for median sheet metal worker pay, and 25th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $30.96). 1,850 sheet metal workers work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.0× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$18.61 – $21.74$38,710 – $45,230roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$21.74 – $35.40$45,230 – $73,640the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$35.40 – $38.15$73,640 – $79,360the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Sheet metal worker pay by metro in Tennessee

Ranked median wages$0$10$20$30$40/hrJackson: $30.43Jackson$30.43Nashville: $29.91Nashville$29.91Knoxville: $29.49Knoxville$29.49Memphis: $29.22Memphis$29.22Cleveland: $27.96Cleveland$27.96Clarksville: $21.55Clarksville$21.55
Median hourly wage for sheet metal workers by metro area in Tennessee, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Jackson$17.35$30.43$35.59$40.05407% above
Nashville$19.94$29.91$31.06$38.377505% above
Knoxville$18.82$29.49$31.85$37.162704% above
Memphis$19.03$29.22$31.69$39.353103% above
Cleveland$18.81$27.96$31.74$37.54702% below
Clarksville$17.14$21.55$23.71$37.445024% below

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

Sheet metal worker wages in Tennessee over time

Tennessee, 1999-2025TennesseeUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40200020052010201520202025$29.71United States$28.45Tennessee
Median hourly wage for sheet metal workers, Tennessee vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearTennessee $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$12.40$23.96$14.096,180
2000$13.29$24.85$15.314,820
2001$13.94$25.34$15.974,750
2002$14.54$26.02$16.624,300
2003$14.39$25.18$16.834,690
2004$14.20$24.20$17.094,650
2005$14.90$24.56$17.504,210
2006$15.23$24.32$17.963,640
2007$15.49$24.05$18.853,600
2008$15.53$23.22$19.373,490
2009$16.52$24.79$19.543,240
2010$16.45$24.29$20.052,960
2011$16.43$23.52$20.553,570
2012$16.95$23.77$20.813,530
2013$17.11$23.65$21.104,020
2014$17.97$24.44$21.673,610
2015$18.32$24.88$21.993,650
2016$20.79$27.89$22.572,720
2017$21.03$27.62$23.072,630
2018$21.25$27.24$23.302,550
2019$21.23$26.73$24.233,090
2020$21.49$26.73$24.703,190
2021$22.37$26.58$25.692,650
2022$21.38$23.52$26.613,480
2023$24.18$25.55$28.262,440
2024$25.81$26.49$29.262,040
2025$28.45$28.45$29.711,850

In today's dollars, the median sheet metal worker wage in Tennessee changed by +14.3% over the last ten years of data and by +6.4% since 2019.

Are there more sheet metal worker jobs in Tennessee?

0.6Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 0.7× the US share, 44th of 50 states

BLS counted 1,850 sheet metal workers in Tennessee in May 2025, an estimate with a relative standard error of 14%. 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 sheet metal workers in Tennessee

+10.8%Projected growth in Tennessee2024–2034, state agency
250Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
2,620Jobs in 20242,900 projected for 2034
+2.5%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Tennessee's labor market agency projects the number of sheet metal workers in the state to change by +10.8% between 2024 and 2034, from 2,620 to 2,900, with about 250 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +2.5% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed, so the base is larger than the 1,850 counted by the BLS employer survey.

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

Union scale and prevailing wage for sheet metal workers in Tennessee

On federally funded construction in Tennessee, contractors must pay sheet metal workers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 88 of the 95 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $55.10 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical $29.45). The market median for the state is $28.45.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, TNAnderson: $55.10 (union)Bedford: $55.10 (union)Benton: $55.10 (union)Bledsoe: $55.10 (union)Blount: $55.10 (union)Bradley: $51.61 (union)Campbell: $55.10 (union)Cannon: $51.61 (union)Carroll: $55.10 (union)Carter: $29.45 (survey)Cheatham: $51.61 (union)Chester: $51.61 (union)Claiborne: $55.10 (union)Clay: $55.10 (union)Cocke: $55.10 (union)Coffee: $55.10 (union)Crockett: $51.61 (union)Cumberland: $55.10 (union)Davidson: $51.61 (union)Decatur: $55.10 (union)DeKalb: $55.10 (union)Dickson: $51.61 (union)Dyer: $55.10 (union)Fayette: $51.61 (union)Fentress: $55.10 (union)Franklin: $55.10 (union)Gibson: $55.10 (union)Giles: $55.10 (union)Grainger: $55.10 (union)Greene: $55.10 (union)Grundy: $55.10 (union)Hamblen: $29.45 (survey)Hamilton: $51.61 (union)Hancock: $55.10 (union)Hardeman: $55.10 (union)Hardin: $55.10 (union)Hawkins: $29.45 (survey)Haywood: $55.10 (union)Henderson: $55.10 (union)Henry: $55.10 (union)Hickman: $51.61 (union)Houston: $55.10 (union)Humphreys: $55.10 (union)Jackson: $55.10 (union)Jefferson: $29.45 (survey)Johnson: $55.10 (union)Knox: $55.10 (union)Lake: $55.10 (union)Lauderdale: $55.10 (union)Lawrence: $55.10 (union)Lewis: $55.10 (union)Lincoln: $55.10 (union)Loudon: $55.10 (union)McMinn: $55.10 (union)McNairy: $55.10 (union)Macon: $51.61 (union)Madison: $51.61 (union)Marion: $51.61 (union)Marshall: $55.10 (union)Maury: $51.61 (union)Meigs: $55.10 (union)Monroe: $55.10 (union)Montgomery: $51.61 (union)Moore: $55.10 (union)Morgan: $55.10 (union)Obion: $55.10 (union)Overton: $55.10 (union)Perry: $55.10 (union)Pickett: $55.10 (union)Polk: $51.61 (union)Putnam: $55.10 (union)Rhea: $55.10 (union)Roane: $55.10 (union)Robertson: $51.61 (union)Rutherford: $51.61 (union)Scott: $55.10 (union)Sequatchie: $51.61 (union)Sevier: $55.10 (union)Shelby: $51.61 (union)Smith: $51.61 (union)Stewart: $55.10 (union)Sullivan: $29.45 (survey)Sumner: $51.61 (union)Tipton: $51.61 (union)Trousdale: $51.61 (union)Unicoi: $29.45 (survey)Union: $55.10 (union)Van Buren: $55.10 (union)Warren: $55.10 (union)Washington: $29.45 (survey)Wayne: $55.10 (union)Weakley: $55.10 (union)White: $55.10 (union)Williamson: $51.61 (union)Wilson: $51.61 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$51.61survey rate
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for sheet metal workers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$10$20$30$40$50$60/hrStewart (Clarksville): market median $21.55, prevailing (union) $55.10, gap +$33.55Stewart (Clarksville)+$33.55Anderson (Knoxville): market median $29.49, prevailing (union) $55.10, gap +$25.61Anderson (Knoxville)+$25.61Gibson (Jackson): market median $30.43, prevailing (union) $55.10, gap +$24.67Gibson (Jackson)+$24.67Bradley (Cleveland): market median $27.96, prevailing (union) $51.61, gap +$23.65Bradley (Cleveland)+$23.65Hamilton (Tennessee): market median $28.45, prevailing (union) $51.61, gap +$23.16Hamilton (Tennessee)+$23.16Fayette (Memphis): market median $29.22, prevailing (union) $51.61, gap +$22.39Fayette (Memphis)+$22.39Cannon (Nashville): market median $29.91, prevailing (union) $51.61, gap +$21.70Cannon (Nashville)+$21.70
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for sheet metal workers, metro counties in Tennessee.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
AndersonUnion SHEE0005-002 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260176
BedfordUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260151
BentonUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260152
BledsoeUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260153
BlountUnion SHEE0005-002 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260177
CampbellUnion SHEE0005-002 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260195
CarrollUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260152
ClaiborneUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260154
ClayUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260154
CockeUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260153
CoffeeUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260151
CumberlandUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260155
DecaturUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260156
DeKalbUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260155
DyerUnion SHEE0005-001 2025-05-01$37.70$17.40$55.10TN20260156

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

Is construction work growing in Tennessee?

169.4kConstruction jobsTennessee, 2026-09
+0.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202650k100k150k200k19901995200020052010201520202025169kSep 2026
Construction employment in Tennessee (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just sheet metal workers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages. Across the 80 counties that report both years, specialty trade contractor employment (all trades) went from 69,010 in 2015 to 102,706 in 2025, +48.8%.

CountyEstablishmentsEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
Franklin County1048$103,237$1,985
White County1075$101,432$1,951
Roane County17380$100,694$1,936
Davidson County2306,042$91,416$1,758
Anderson County28634$89,688$1,725
Williamson County712,100$89,570$1,722
Shelby County2464,074$81,642$1,570
Rutherford County103992$78,290$1,506
Hamilton County1491,992$77,306$1,487
Cocke County842$76,788$1,477
Madison County31631$76,592$1,473
Knox County1953,146$76,431$1,470

Keep comparing

Sheet metal worker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Tennessee

More on Tennessee

Questions this page answers

How much do sheet metal workers make in Tennessee?

The median sheet metal worker in Tennessee earned $28.45 an hour ($59,170 a year) in May 2025, 4% below the national median of $29.71. The middle half earn $21.74–$35.40; the top 10% earn more than $38.15.

Where does Tennessee rank for sheet metal worker pay?

Tennessee ranks 32nd of 50 states for sheet metal worker pay, with a median of $28.45 an hour, and 25th after adjusting for Tennessee's cost of living (BEA price parity 91.9, US = 100).

What is the union sheet metal worker rate in Tennessee?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for sheet metal workers in 88 counties, with a typical package of $55.10 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many sheet metal workers work in Tennessee?

BLS counted 1,850 sheet metal workers in Tennessee in May 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.73; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is sheet metal worker work growing in Tennessee?

Tennessee's labor market agency projects +10.8% growth for sheet metal workers between 2024 and 2034, from 2,620 to 2,900 jobs.

How many sheet metal worker openings a year are there in Tennessee?

Tennessee projects about 250 openings a year for sheet metal workers over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 9,800 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tennessee and metro areas, SOC 47-2211. 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: Tennessee labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.