Ironworker salary in Fort Wayne, IN
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the Fort Wayne, IN area earn a median of $67,530 a year, or $32.47 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,180. Across all of Indiana, the median is $70,130, so Fort Wayne pays 4% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.45/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 190
- After cost of living
- $72,950
- Median hourly pay
- $32.47/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +8%
- vs Indiana median
- −4%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $44,610–$51,260$21.45–$24.64/hr | |
| Journeyman | $67,530$32.47/hr | |
| Top earners | $73,680–$92,180$35.42–$44.32/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Fort Wayne, IN compares
- Fort Wayne ranks 7th of 9 Indiana metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers are more concentrated in the Fort Wayne area than nationally: 0.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.9 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $92,180, is 2.1 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,610: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Indiana metro areas
Other trades in Fort Wayne, IN
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in Fort Wayne, IN?
- Ironworkers in the Fort Wayne, IN area earn a median of $67,530 a year, or $32.47 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $92,180.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in Fort Wayne, IN?
- The median hourly wage is $32.47. The middle half earn between $24.64 and $35.42 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in Fort Wayne, IN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.45 an hour ($44,610 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.64.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Fort Wayne, IN?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $67,530 a year ($32.47 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $73,680–$92,180.
- Do ironworkers make more in Fort Wayne or Chicago?
- Chicago pays more: the median is $67,530 in Fort Wayne and $102,350 in Chicago, a 34% difference.
- How does Fort Wayne pay compare with the rest of Indiana?
- The Fort Wayne median of $67,530 is 4% less than the Indiana median of $70,130.
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 23060 (Fort Wayne, IN). 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 (92.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures