TradeSalary

Ironworker salary in Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV area earn a median of $68,320 a year, or $32.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $85,370. Statewide, ironworkers earn a median of $61,240; Washington is 12% above it.

Median yearly pay$68,320
Bottom 10% under$50,720Top 10% over$85,370
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$24.39/hr
Jobs in this area
1,060
After cost of living
$62,750
Median hourly pay
$32.85/hr
vs U.S. median
+9%
vs District of Columbia median
+12%
Mean (average) pay
$67,480 a year · $32.44 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 47900, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV). Excludes self-employed ironworkers. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Pay by percentile

What ironworkers in Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV 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.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$24.39$50,720
25th percentile$28.76$59,810
Median (50th)$32.85$68,320
75th percentile$36.56$76,050
90th percentile$41.04$85,370

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV compares

  • Ironworkers are less concentrated in the Washington area than nationally: 0.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.77 times the U.S. share.

Other trades in Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV

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 47900 (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV). 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 (108.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures