How much do ironworkers make in Wisconsin in 2026?

Wisconsin ironworkers at the median earn $92,820 a year, which works out to about $44.63 an hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. That's a solid benchmark, but the range tells the fuller story: workers at the 25th percentile take home $74,880 annually (around $36.00/hr), while those at the 75th percentile reach $95,840, or roughly $46.08/hr. All figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025.

The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is about $20,960 a year. That spread reflects real differences in experience, the type of work a crew handles, and the projects available in a given part of the state. An ironworker three years into the trade erecting structural steel on a Milwaukee high-rise is in a different position than someone still completing an apprenticeship on smaller commercial jobs downstate.

Notice how tight the band is between the median ($92,820) and the 75th percentile ($95,840) — only about $3,020 separates them. That compression at the top of the range suggests the ceiling for most Wisconsin ironworkers without specialized skills or substantial overtime sits relatively close to the median. Breaking through it usually requires consistent overtime, supervisory responsibility, or moving into specialty work like reinforcing iron, ornamental, or rigging and machinery moving.

Overtime is where ironworkers often see their biggest annual pay gains. At the median hourly rate of $44.63, a single overtime hour pays $66.95. Ten overtime hours a week for 20 weeks adds roughly $13,385 to a worker's annual total — enough to push someone from the median well past the 75th percentile number on their W-2. Wisconsin construction seasons run hard from spring thaw through late fall, and project schedules during those months frequently generate overtime.

Geography within Wisconsin matters. The Milwaukee metro area, with its ongoing commercial and industrial construction activity, and the Madison market, driven by institutional and government building, tend to support the higher end of the wage range. Smaller markets in the Fox Valley, Wausau corridor, or the northern part of the state may offer fewer large structural projects, which can mean less consistent hours and lower effective annual earnings even if the hourly rate is comparable.

The type of ironwork also shapes pay. Structural ironworkers who connect and erect steel frames on large commercial or industrial buildings generally see the most hours and the steadiest pay. Reinforcing ironworkers placing rebar on highway and infrastructure jobs follow a similar pattern. Ornamental ironworkers doing curtainwall, stairs, and architectural metalwork may find more year-round urban work but can face a narrower project pipeline.

Apprenticeship is the standard entry point. Completion of a multi-year registered apprenticeship program — typically combining on-the-job hours with classroom instruction — moves a worker to journeyman scale and generally corresponds to a jump toward or above the median wage. Workers still in the apprenticeship phase are typically paid a percentage of journeyman scale, which means the BLS median likely reflects mostly journeyman and above.

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

The BLS figures here capture base wages reported by employers. They do not include the value of employer-paid benefits such as health insurance, pension contributions, or annuity funds that are common in the trades. For many Wisconsin ironworkers, those benefits add meaningful compensation on top of the hourly wage figures shown on this page. When comparing offers or evaluating total compensation, factor in the full package, not just the hourly rate.