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

Sheet metal workers in Colorado earn a median of $57,880 per year, which works out to roughly $27.83 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That figure sits squarely in the middle of the trade — half of Colorado sheet metal workers earn more, half earn less. If you're trying to gauge where you stand or what to aim for, the full spread matters more than the median alone.

The 25th percentile lands at $47,010 per year, or about $22.60 per hour. Workers at this level are typically newer to the trade — apprentices nearing completion, journeyworkers in their first year or two, or those working in less specialized segments of the industry. It's a livable starting point, but there's real room to climb.

The 75th percentile hits $70,400 annually, roughly $33.85 per hour. Workers in this range have usually accumulated five or more years of journeylevel experience, taken on layout and fabrication work that requires more precision, or moved into supervisory roles on larger commercial and industrial projects. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is over $23,000 per year — so experience and specialization carry serious weight in this trade.

Sheet metal work in Colorado spans a wide range of applications: HVAC duct fabrication and installation, architectural metal work on commercial buildings, roofing systems, and industrial exhaust systems. Workers who can handle multiple segments — not just duct but also custom fabrication or specialty cladding — tend to command higher rates. Shops that do design-build work often pay more than those focused strictly on installation.

Geography within Colorado plays a role. The Denver metro area, including Aurora, Lakewood, and the surrounding Front Range corridor, concentrates the most commercial construction activity and tends to support higher wages than rural or mountain communities. That said, resort and mountain-area construction can push pay higher during busy build seasons, particularly for finish and architectural metal work tied to hospitality and high-end residential projects.

Overtime is common in this trade, especially when projects are running behind schedule or during peak construction seasons in spring and summer. A worker earning the median rate of $27.83 per hour earns $41.75 at time-and-a-half. Even a modest amount of overtime — say, eight extra hours per week over a six-month push — can add $8,000 or more to annual take-home pay. That reality doesn't show up in BLS base salary figures, which capture straight-time pay.

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

The BLS OEWS figures used here reflect wage income only. They do not include the value of employer-paid health insurance, retirement contributions, or paid time off. A full compensation package at a well-established contractor can be meaningfully higher than the wage number alone suggests. When comparing offers, always ask for the total package breakdown.

Apprenticeship is the standard path into this trade in Colorado. Programs typically run four to five years and combine on-the-job hours with classroom instruction covering blueprint reading, layout, fabrication, and system design. Apprentice wages are set as a percentage of journeylevel scale and step up as you progress through the program. Completing an apprenticeship and earning journeyworker status is the clearest route to the median and above.

To push past the 75th percentile, the most reliable levers are specialization, supervisory responsibility, and employer type. Foremen and general foremen earn more. Workers who hold certifications in areas like welding, HVAC system balancing, or estimating add value that employers pay for. Larger contractors on prevailing-wage public projects also tend to pay at the higher end of the range.

All figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. BLS collects data from employer payroll records and covers the overwhelming majority of wage and salary employment in the trade.