How much do ironworkers make in Minnesota in 2026?

The median ironworker in Minnesota earns $95,320 a year, which works out to roughly $45.83 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025, and reflects wages across the full range of ironworker roles — structural, ornamental, and reinforcing — in the state.

The spread between the bottom and top of the middle half of earners is tighter than you might expect. Workers at the 25th percentile — those just past entry level, typically a few years into the trade — bring in $89,720 annually, or about $43.13 an hour. Workers at the 75th percentile earn $98,160, or roughly $47.19 an hour. That $8,440 gap between the 25th and 75th percentile tells you something important: in Minnesota, seniority and positioning matter, but the floor is already well above what most trades pay newer workers in other states. If you're shopping this trade versus others, the starting point here is strong.

What pushes a worker from $43 an hour toward $47 and above? The biggest factors are specialty and project type. Structural ironworkers working bridge and highway projects — common in Minnesota given the state's bridge replacement and infrastructure pipeline — tend to command more than those doing lighter commercial framing. Ironworkers certified in welding, particularly those who can pass structural weld qualification tests, can negotiate above-scale wages on certain projects. Rigging and signaling certifications add leverage as well, especially on heavy industrial sites in the Iron Range or at processing facilities in northeastern Minnesota.

Geography within the state has real influence. The Twin Cities metro — Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the inner-ring suburbs — drives a significant share of the high-rise, stadium, and large commercial work that keeps ironworkers employed year-round. Duluth, Rochester, and St. Cloud offer steadier light-commercial and infrastructure work, though the project pipeline is thinner. Workers in Greater Minnesota should expect more seasonal gaps between projects, particularly in late fall and winter when outdoor structural work slows. Those gaps affect annual earnings even when hourly rates are competitive.

Overtime is a meaningful income lever for ironworkers. A worker at the median rate of $45.83 an hour who logs 200 hours of overtime in a year — roughly four hours a week above 40 — adds approximately $13,749 in gross wages at time-and-a-half, pushing total annual pay toward $109,000. On accelerated schedules, especially bridge replacement projects with hard seasonal deadlines, extended overtime is common.

Apprenticeship is the standard entry path. A typical ironworker apprenticeship runs three to four years and combines classroom hours with on-the-job training. Apprentice pay scales in a structured program start significantly below journeyman rates — often 50–60% of the journeyman scale — and step up incrementally, usually every six months. By the final year of an apprenticeship, pay typically reaches 90% or more of journeyman scale. Completing your apprenticeship and earning journeyman status is the clearest single move to push your annual wages into the $95,000-plus range reflected in the BLS data.

Some workers in this trade may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

The BLS OEWS figures reflect base wages only. They do not capture employer contributions to health insurance, pension, or annuity funds, which can add significant value to a total compensation package. On jobs where such benefits are negotiated, the dollar-per-hour value of benefits can run $15–$25 or more on top of the wage rate, making the gap between total compensation and raw wages substantial. When comparing offers, always ask for the full package breakdown, not just the hourly rate.

If you're looking to move your pay toward the top of the Minnesota range, the practical levers are: earn a welding certification that meets structural qualifications, pursue rigging certifications, position yourself on large-scale infrastructure or heavy industrial projects, and stay current on OSHA 30 and any fall protection or confined space credentials that make you more versatile to a GC. In a state with an active transportation infrastructure budget and ongoing urban development in the metro, the demand side for skilled ironworkers is not going away.