How much do ironworkers make in Washington in 2026?

The median ironworker in Washington earns $107,660 a year, which works out to roughly $51.76 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number puts Washington ironworkers well above the national median for the trade, reflecting both the state's heavy construction activity and the physical demands the work places on the people doing it.

Pay spreads widely depending on experience, employer, and the type of ironwork involved. The 25th percentile sits at $79,810 a year, or about $38.37 an hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade — still moving through apprenticeship stages or recently journeyed out and building up a track record. The 75th percentile comes in at $120,170 a year, roughly $57.77 an hour. Getting to that tier generally means a decade or more of experience, a reputation for efficiency and safety, and often specialization in structural steel, reinforcing iron, or ornamental and architectural metalwork.

The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile — about $40,360 a year — is worth paying attention to. That's not a small difference. It means the decisions you make early in your career about specialization, training, and the jobs you take on have a real long-term dollar value. Structural work on high-rises, bridges, and industrial facilities tends to pay more than general reinforcing work on residential or light commercial projects. Riggers and machinery movers who hold certifications for crane work and critical lifts are also in a pay category of their own.

Washington's geography matters here. The Puget Sound region — Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and the surrounding construction corridors — drives the bulk of ironwork demand in the state. Major infrastructure projects, light rail expansion, port development, and a dense commercial building pipeline keep ironworkers busy and give experienced hands more leverage on wages. Eastern Washington sees lower volume and can run cooler on pay, though large agricultural processing facilities, data centers, and infrastructure work do generate steady demand.

Overtime is a real part of ironworker earnings and BLS wage data does not fully capture it. The OEWS survey measures straight-time base wages. An ironworker pulling regular overtime on a major structural job — common on deadline-driven commercial projects — can push total annual earnings well above the figures shown here. Some workers on large projects regularly see 50- or 55-hour weeks, which at time-and-a-half rates adds up fast. If you're comparing offers, look at guaranteed hours and OT norms on the project, not just the base rate.

Apprentices typically start at a percentage of journeyman scale and step up at defined intervals — often every six months — as they log hours and complete coursework. A first-year apprentice will earn well below the 25th percentile figure, while someone nearing journey-card status may already be approaching it. The four- or five-year apprenticeship path in ironwork is genuinely structured, and the earnings progression is real and predictable once you're in a program.

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

The BLS OEWS figures here are from May 2025 and represent wages reported by employers across Washington. They do not include benefits, which can be substantial in ironwork — health insurance, pension or annuity contributions, and paid vacation can add meaningfully to total compensation beyond the base wage figures shown.

To move toward the higher end of the pay range, the most direct levers are: accumulating hours in high-demand structural and industrial work, earning certifications relevant to your specialty (rigging, welding, crane signaling), and being willing to travel to where the largest projects are running. Washington has enough major construction activity that you don't always have to go far, but ironworkers who stay flexible on geography consistently out-earn those who don't.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.