How much do rebar workers make in Tennessee in 2026?

The median rebar worker in Tennessee earns $57,920 a year, which works out to about $27.85 an hour. That's the midpoint — half the rebar workers in the state earn more, half earn less. If you're just getting started or working in a slower market, the 25th percentile sits at $50,030 annually, or roughly $24.05 an hour. Workers with more experience, better certifications, or jobs on large commercial and infrastructure projects tend to land at the 75th percentile: $61,190 a year, about $29.42 an hour. All figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025.

That $11,160 spread between the bottom quartile and the top quartile is meaningful. It represents the difference between a worker still building a book of employers and one who has several years of placing, tying, and reading structural drawings behind them. Rebar work is physically demanding and technically specific — you're reading engineered plans, placing steel to exact tolerances, and working around concrete pours on tight deadlines. Employers pay more when they don't have to train someone to do that.

Tennessee's construction sector skews toward commercial, industrial, and infrastructure work. Nashville continues to see dense, high-rise residential and commercial builds, and highway and bridge work across the state draws rebar crews consistently. Bridge decks, retaining walls, parking structures, and stadium or arena projects all require significant rebar placement. Workers who can move between job types — say, from slab-on-grade work to vertical wall placement — are more portable and tend to command better hourly rates.

Overtime is a real factor in this trade. Rebar crews often work ahead of concrete pours, which means early starts, Saturday work, and sometimes extended shifts when a pour is scheduled. A worker at the median rate of $27.85 an hour earns $41.78 at time-and-a-half. Even modest overtime — five hours a week over a full year — adds roughly $10,860 to gross annual pay, pushing a median-wage worker well above $68,000. That's not guaranteed, but it's common on active job sites.

Geography within Tennessee matters. Nashville and its suburbs, Knoxville, and Chattanooga tend to have more commercial and infrastructure activity than rural counties. A rebar worker commuting to a major metro project is likely seeing different pay conditions than one doing residential flatwork in a smaller market. The BLS figures reflect a statewide average and don't break out metro-level wages for this specific occupation in Tennessee, so local job conditions can push pay noticeably above or below the state median.

Apprenticeship is the standard entry path for this trade. A structured apprenticeship typically runs three to four years and combines on-the-job training with classroom instruction covering blueprint reading, reinforcing steel placement, safety procedures, and load requirements. Workers who complete a formal apprenticeship tend to come out at or above the median wage more quickly than those who learn purely on the job, simply because they enter with a broader, documented skill set.

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

The BLS data captures base wages reported by employers, but it doesn't include overtime pay, per diem, travel pay, or employer contributions to benefits like health insurance or retirement plans. For workers on large commercial or public projects, those additional components can add several dollars per hour in effective compensation. When comparing job offers, it pays to look at the full package, not just the base rate.

To move toward that $29.42-an-hour threshold, the most direct routes are accumulating years on commercial and infrastructure work, getting comfortable with complex structural drawings, and being reliable enough that foremen call you first when a project ramps up. Welding certification — specifically tack welding rebar for cages and column assemblies — is a skill that sets workers apart and can justify a higher hourly rate on certain jobs. OSHA 30 certification signals safety awareness and is increasingly expected on larger sites.