How much do ironworkers make in Tennessee in 2026?

The median ironworker in Tennessee earns $56,750 a year, which works out to about $27.28 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of ironworkers in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just starting out or working a lower-demand area, the 25th percentile sits at $48,320 annually, or roughly $23.23 an hour. Workers in the upper quarter of earners pull in $66,240 or more — around $31.85 an hour. Those three numbers give you the real range to plan around.

Ironwork in Tennessee spans structural steel erection, reinforcing rod setting (rebar), ornamental work, and pre-engineered metal building assembly. The mix of work you get assigned matters for your pay. Structural ironworkers on large commercial or industrial projects — think distribution centers, bridge construction along I-40 or I-65, or industrial builds in the Memphis or Chattanooga corridors — tend to accumulate more hours and have more opportunity for overtime than rebar workers on smaller residential jobs. More hours and a higher base rate are the two fastest ways your annual number moves toward the 75th percentile.

Geography inside Tennessee makes a real difference. The Nashville metro is the state's most active construction market, and demand there for structural ironworkers has stayed consistently high as the city builds out commercial high-rises, stadiums, and infrastructure. Memphis, with its port and industrial base, generates steady heavy construction work. Knoxville and Chattanooga are smaller markets but have seen sustained activity in manufacturing plant construction and highway work. Rural counties see less ironwork overall, and workers there may travel to urban job sites — travel pay and per diem, where offered, can add meaningfully to your effective annual earnings even if they don't show in base wage figures.

Experience is the most reliable lever for moving up through the pay bands. A first-year apprentice almost certainly lands at or below the 25th percentile. After completing a multi-year apprenticeship program — typically four years combining on-the-job training and classroom instruction — a journeyperson can expect to be earning near or above the median. Foremen and general foremen with ten or more years of field experience are the workers most likely to show up in the 75th percentile range and above.

Overtime is a significant factor in ironworkers' annual earnings across Tennessee. When a project is on a tight schedule — especially during peak construction seasons in spring and summer — 50- and 60-hour weeks are common. At $27.28 straight time, a single hour of overtime pays $40.92 under federal overtime rules (time-and-a-half). Ten overtime hours a week over 20 weeks adds roughly $8,184 to your annual take-home, which is enough to push a median earner well into 75th-percentile territory for that year.

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

These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. The BLS counts base wages and tips but does not capture the full value of employer-paid benefits — health insurance, pension contributions, and paid leave can represent thousands of dollars in additional annual compensation that won't appear in these numbers. Self-employed ironworkers or those working through staffing arrangements may also see their pay reported differently than direct-hire workers.

To push your pay higher, the most direct paths are: completing your apprenticeship and getting journeyperson-certified, picking up rigging or welding certifications (certified welders on structural iron consistently earn more than those without the credential), and positioning yourself for work on the largest projects in the state's metro markets where demand and complexity support higher rates. Foreman experience — even on smaller jobs — signals leadership ability and opens the door to elevated pay classifications on bigger sites.