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
- Mean (average) pay
- $80,090 a year · $38.50 an hour
Pay by percentile
What boilermakers in the U.S. earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.28 | $50,490 |
| 25th percentile | $31.13 | $64,760 |
| Median (50th) | $36.74 | $76,410 |
| 75th percentile | $45.88 | $95,430 |
| 90th percentile | $53.06 | $110,370 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
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
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
- 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.
- Which metro area pays boilermakers the most?
- The San Francisco–Oakland–Fremont, CA area, with a median of $135,290 a year.
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