How much do sheet metal workers make in Arizona in 2026?

Sheet metal workers in Arizona earn a median of $50,260 per year, which works out to roughly $24.16 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's the midpoint — half of Arizona's sheet metal workers earn more, half earn less. The full spread tells a clearer story about where you can land depending on your experience, specialization, and employer.

At the 25th percentile, workers take home $37,840 annually, or about $18.19 an hour. This is typically where you find workers still building hours in an apprenticeship, recent completers, or helpers doing repetitive fab and install work under close supervision. It's not a ceiling — it's a starting point.

The median sits at $50,260 a year ($24.16/hr). Workers here have usually completed their apprenticeship and carry a few years of journeyman-level experience. They can read and execute complex shop drawings, handle HVAC duct fabrication, roofing metal, architectural panels, or equipment enclosures with minimal supervision.

The 75th percentile reaches $68,940 per year, or about $33.14 an hour. Workers at this level typically combine deep technical skill with something extra — a foreman title, specialty work in industrial or commercial HVAC, precision architectural metalwork, or steady overtime. Crossing into the top quarter of earners in Arizona usually requires consistent performance over many years and often a willingness to take on the harder, more demanding projects.

Arizona's construction market leans heavily on commercial and light industrial work, particularly in the Phoenix metro and Tucson corridor. New data centers, warehouses, healthcare facilities, and semiconductor fabrication plants all drive demand for sheet metal workers who can handle large-scale HVAC and process ductwork. Workers positioned in those sectors tend to earn closer to the 75th percentile than those doing primarily residential or light commercial work.

Overtime is a real income driver in this trade. Many sheet metal workers in Arizona log 50 to 60 hours a week during peak construction phases or during heavy cooling-season service calls. Every overtime hour at time-and-a-half can add meaningfully to a base that already sits near the median. A worker earning $24.16/hr who picks up 10 hours of overtime per week for 30 weeks adds roughly $10,870 on top of their standard annual pay — pushing total earnings well above the published median.

Specialization matters too. Workers who move into balancing and testing of HVAC systems, cleanroom ductwork for semiconductor facilities, or stainless-steel fabrication for food processing plants frequently command rates at or above the 75th percentile. Those skills are less common and harder for employers to replace on short notice.

The geographic split within Arizona is worth noting. The Phoenix metro — Maricopa and surrounding counties — is where the bulk of the construction volume sits and where the highest-paying commercial and industrial work is concentrated. Tucson offers steady but generally lower-volume work. Rural Arizona projects exist but often involve significant travel time, which some employers compensate through per diem or mileage, effectively raising total take-home pay even if the base hourly rate is lower.

Apprenticeship completion is the most direct path to the upper half of this pay scale. A formal multi-year apprenticeship — typically four or five years combining on-the-job hours with classroom instruction — is the standard entry route. Graduates come out with the skills to qualify for journeyman-level pay immediately and to advance faster than workers who entered through informal on-the-job training alone.

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

The figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. BLS data captures base wages and salaries but does not include overtime pay, shift differentials, per diem, or the value of employer-paid benefits such as health insurance and retirement contributions. Your actual total compensation is likely higher than these figures suggest if you work for an employer with strong benefits and regular overtime availability.