How much do rebar workers make in Wisconsin in 2026?

The median rebar worker in Wisconsin earns $121,620 per year, which works out to roughly $58.47 an hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. That is a strong number for a physically demanding trade that requires real skill and precision on the job site. If you are sizing up a career as an ironworker reinforcing specialist or trying to figure out where you stand, these are the benchmarks to know.

The 25th percentile sits at $83,100 annually, or about $39.95 an hour. Workers at this level are typically earlier in their careers — building experience on smaller pours, learning how to read structural drawings, and getting comfortable with tie wire, rebar cutters, and bending equipment. The jump from that entry-level range to the median is substantial: roughly $38,500 a year separates the 25th percentile from the median. That gap reflects how much experience and job-site reliability matter in this trade.

The 75th percentile comes in at $123,650 per year, about $59.45 an hour. Notice how tight the spread is between the median ($121,620) and the 75th percentile ($123,650) — just $2,030 a year. That compressed upper range suggests that a large share of experienced rebar workers in Wisconsin cluster near the top of the pay band, rather than having a long ladder between mid-level and high earners. Getting to the median may be the bigger hurdle; once you are there, you are already close to the top of the documented range.

These figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, published May 2025. The OEWS captures base wages and salaries but does not include overtime pay, shift differentials, per diem, or tool and travel allowances — all of which can move your actual take-home meaningfully higher in a trade like rebar work.

Seasonality matters in Wisconsin. The construction season compresses into the warmer months, roughly April through November in most years, though heated pours and underground work can extend that window. During the peak season, overtime is common on large concrete pours — foundations, bridge decks, parking structures, retaining walls. A rebar worker who picks up consistent overtime during that stretch can push total earnings well above the annual figures reported here, which reflect straight-time hourly wages.

Geography within Wisconsin shifts the numbers too. The Milwaukee metro area, including Waukesha and Racine counties, concentrates the heaviest commercial and infrastructure construction activity in the state. Madison and the surrounding Dane County area are also active, driven by university construction, state government projects, and a growing commercial sector. Workers based near those hubs generally see more consistent work hours than those in rural northern or western Wisconsin, where project pipelines can be thinner.

Rebar work does not require a state license in Wisconsin the way some trades do, but the path to higher pay almost always runs through a formal apprenticeship. Apprenticeship programs typically run three to four years and combine on-the-job hours with classroom instruction covering blueprint reading, safety, concrete formwork, and reinforcement placement specifications. Completing an apprenticeship positions workers for journeyperson-level wages — the range where Wisconsin's median and 75th percentile numbers live. Some workers may be covered by a collective bargaining agreement — check with your local for current rates.

To push your earnings toward and above the median, the practical levers are clear: finish an apprenticeship, specialize in complex reinforcement work like post-tensioned slabs or bridge reinforcement, pursue foreman or layout responsibilities, and stay mobile enough to follow the work to high-demand metro areas. Certifications in OSHA 30 and first aid/CPR are table stakes for most large sites and can help you access better-paying commercial and infrastructure contracts.

The BLS numbers here represent what workers are actually earning across Wisconsin — not surveyed estimates of what employers say they pay. That makes them a reliable floor for understanding where the trade stands statewide.