Boilermaker salary
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Boilermakers in the U.S. earn a median of $76,410 a year, or $36.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $110,370.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $24.28/hr
- Jobs nationwide
- 10,190
- Median hourly pay
- $36.74/hr
Apprentice, journeyman and top boilermaker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $50,490–$64,760$24.28–$31.13/hr | |
| Journeyman | $76,410$36.74/hr | |
| Top earners | $95,430–$110,370$45.88–$53.06/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median boilermaker wage in the U.S. rose 18.9%, from $64,290 in May 2021 to $76,410 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 0.5%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $64,290 | $30.91/hr |
| May 2022 | $66,920 | $32.17/hr |
| May 2023 | $71,140 | $34.20/hr |
| May 2024 | $73,340 | $35.26/hr |
| May 2025 | $76,410 | $36.74/hr |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years
How it compares
- The 90th-percentile wage, $110,370, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $50,490: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Boilermaker pay by state
- California$118,150
- Mississippi$105,910
- New Mexico$101,200
- Illinois$99,730
- Michigan$98,220
- Wisconsin$97,590
- Minnesota$96,190
- Washington$95,200
- Indiana$91,410
- Colorado$89,350
See all 50 states and DC
- Idaho$88,400
- Pennsylvania$86,850
- Ohio$85,550
- New Hampshire$85,470
- New York$84,770
- Iowa$82,470
- New Jersey$82,410
- Connecticut$80,360
- Missouri$78,550
- Arizona$77,940
- Wyoming$77,900
- Oklahoma$77,750
- Arkansas$76,810
- Texas$75,750
- South Carolina$74,840
- Kentucky$74,810
- Louisiana$73,980
- Kansas$72,170
- Florida$69,790
- Virginia$67,540
- Georgia$64,200
- West Virginia$63,850
- Alabama$63,570
- Nevada$61,430
- Tennessee$51,810
- North Carolina$49,720
- Maryland$42,250
Top-paying metro areas
- San Francisco–Oakland–FremontCA$135,290
- Los Angeles–Long Beach–AnaheimCA$110,370
- Chicago–Naperville–ElginIL-IN$109,640
- PittsburghPA$91,420
- Philadelphia–Camden–WilmingtonPA-NJ-DE-MD$86,910
- New York–Newark–Jersey CityNY-NJ$82,420
- New Orleans–MetairieLA$77,290
- Houston–Pasadena–The WoodlandsTX$77,090
- Baton RougeLA$74,730
- Beaumont–Port ArthurTX$73,060
Every metro area ranked by boilermaker pay after cost of living
Other trades in the U.S.
Questions
- How much do boilermakers make?
- Boilermakers in the U.S. earn a median of $76,410 a year, or $36.74 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $110,370.
- How much do boilermakers make an hour in the U.S.?
- The median hourly wage is $36.74. The middle half earn between $31.13 and $45.88 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice boilermakers make in the U.S.?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $24.28 an hour ($50,490 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $31.13.
- Has boilermaker pay gone up?
- The median boilermaker wage in the U.S. rose 18.9%, from $64,290 in May 2021 to $76,410 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 0.5%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- How much does a journeyman boilermaker make?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $76,410 a year ($36.74 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $95,430–$110,370.
- Which state pays boilermakers the most?
- California, with a median of $118,150 a year, followed by Mississippi ($105,910). Maryland has the lowest median, $42,250.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2011 (Boilermakers). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed boilermakers and business owners aren't included. Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures