Ironworker salary in Riverside, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA area earn a median of $72,790 a year, or $34.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $105,570. Across all of California, the median is $76,370, so Riverside pays 5% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.73/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 1,120
- After cost of living
- $68,380
- Median hourly pay
- $34.99/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +16%
- vs California median
- −5%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,280–$49,090$22.73–$23.60/hr | |
| Journeyman | $72,790$34.99/hr | |
| Top earners | $99,170–$105,570$47.68–$50.75/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Riverside, CA compares
- Riverside ranks 12th of 15 California metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers are more concentrated in the Riverside area than nationally: 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.5 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $105,570, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,280: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in Riverside, CA
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in Riverside, CA?
- Ironworkers in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario, CA area earn a median of $72,790 a year, or $34.99 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $105,570.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in Riverside, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $34.99. The middle half earn between $23.60 and $47.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in Riverside, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.73 an hour ($47,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.60.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Riverside, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $72,790 a year ($34.99 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $99,170–$105,570.
- Do ironworkers make more in Riverside or San Jose?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $72,790 in Riverside and $109,440 in San Jose, a 33% difference.
- How does Riverside pay compare with the rest of California?
- The Riverside median of $72,790 is 5% less than the California median of $76,370.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2221 (Structural Iron and Steel Workers), area code 40140 (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed ironworkers and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (106.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures