Ironworker salary in San Diego, CA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA area earn a median of $76,400 a year, or $36.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $110,350. Across all of California, the median is $76,370, so San Diego pays about the same as the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.72/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 740
- After cost of living
- $68,280
- Median hourly pay
- $36.73/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +22%
- vs California median
- 0%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $49,340–$61,090$23.72–$29.37/hr | |
| Journeyman | $76,400$36.73/hr | |
| Top earners | $104,130–$110,350$50.06–$53.05/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How San Diego, CA compares
- San Diego ranks 8th of 15 California metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers hold about the same share of jobs in the San Diego area as nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $110,350, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,340: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other California metro areas
Other trades in San Diego, CA
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in San Diego, CA?
- Ironworkers in the San Diego–Chula Vista–Carlsbad, CA area earn a median of $76,400 a year, or $36.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $110,350.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in San Diego, CA?
- The median hourly wage is $36.73. The middle half earn between $29.37 and $50.06 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in San Diego, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.72 an hour ($49,340 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.37.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in San Diego, CA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $76,400 a year ($36.73 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $104,130–$110,350.
- Do ironworkers make more in San Diego or San Jose?
- San Jose pays more: the median is $76,400 in San Diego and $109,440 in San Jose, a 30% difference.
- How does San Diego pay compare with the rest of California?
- The San Diego median of $76,400 is about the same as 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 41740 (San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, 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 (111.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures