How much do rebar workers make in Colorado in 2026?

The median rebar worker in Colorado earns $56,160 a year, which works out to $27.00 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's a reasonable baseline, but the spread across the workforce is wide — entry-level workers sit closer to $48,800 ($23.46/hr) at the 25th percentile, while experienced hands at the 75th percentile pull in $71,620 ($34.43/hr). That's a $22,820 gap between the bottom quarter and the top quarter, which tells you experience and employer choice matter a lot in this trade. All figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.

Rebar work in Colorado runs heavy on commercial and infrastructure projects — highway bridges, parking structures, high-rise foundations along the Front Range, and large-scale water infrastructure throughout the state. Demand tracks construction cycles closely. When big public works and transportation funding flows into the state, rebar ironworkers are among the first trades called to the job site and among the last to leave a project.

Starting out, most new rebar workers in Colorado land somewhere around $23 to $24 an hour. That's honest money for physical, skilled work, but it's clearly not where you want to stay. Getting from the 25th percentile to the median — roughly a $7,360 annual jump — usually takes two to four years of consistent site time, learning to read structural drawings, tying efficiently, and handling post-tensioning or pre-stressed work where required. Getting to $34 an hour and above typically means you can run a crew, read complex engineering specs without supervision, and work across multiple system types.

Geography within Colorado moves the needle. Denver metro projects — especially downtown high-rises and I-70 corridor infrastructure work — tend to pay at or above the state median due to job density and contractor competition for skilled ironworkers. Colorado Springs carries a solid commercial market as well. More rural projects in mountain towns or agricultural regions may pay closer to the 25th percentile, though cost-of-living differences don't always offset the gap.

Overtime is a real part of the rebar worker's annual income. A standard 40-hour week is common on some jobs, but fast-track pours and phased concrete schedules frequently push hours to 50 or 60 a week during peak phases. At the median base rate of $27.00/hr, every hour of overtime at 1.5x adds $40.50 — a 10-hour overtime week generates an extra $405 before taxes. Workers who consistently land on projects with heavy schedules can push their actual annual earnings well above the 75th percentile figure even without a base rate increase.

Some rebar workers in Colorado are covered by collective bargaining agreements through their employer. If you're working under a union agreement, your actual pay and benefits are set by that contract — check directly with your local's agreement for the specific scale, fringe benefits, and jurisdiction rather than relying on the BLS state-level figures, which blend union and non-union wages together.

Apprenticeship is the most reliable path to top-tier pay in this trade. Formal apprenticeship programs combine on-the-job hours with classroom instruction covering blueprint reading, safety, rigging, and ironworking techniques. Most programs run three to four years, and apprentice pay scales step up with each period completed. Finishing a registered apprenticeship puts you in a position to qualify for journeyman wages and, eventually, foreman or general foreman roles that push well past the 75th percentile.

To increase your pay as a rebar worker in Colorado, the most direct levers are specialization, certifications, and employer selection. Workers who can handle post-tensioning systems or work on bridge decks and precast operations are harder to replace. An OSHA 30-hour construction card and rigging or signaling certifications make you more deployable on larger federal and state-funded jobs that require documented safety training. Chasing work with general contractors on major public infrastructure bids — rather than staying on smaller residential or light commercial jobs — is consistently where the higher wages sit in this state.

The BLS figures here capture base wages only. They don't include overtime pay, per diem for travel or remote project work, employer-paid health benefits, retirement contributions, or tool allowances — all of which are part of the real compensation picture depending on your employer and agreement. Use the percentile data as a benchmarking tool to know where you stand, not as a ceiling on what's possible.