Ironworker salary in Kentucky
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in Kentucky earn a median of $64,060 a year, or $30.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $98,360. That's 2% more than the national median of $62,780, 25th of 50 states and DC.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.19/hr
- Jobs in Kentucky
- 990
- After cost of living
- $71,050
- Median hourly pay
- $30.80/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +2%
- Rank among states
- 25th of 50
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $48,240–$56,480$23.19–$27.16/hr | |
| Journeyman | $64,060$30.80/hr | |
| Top earners | $76,570–$98,360$36.81–$47.29/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
Pay over time
The median ironworker wage in Kentucky rose 13.9%, from $56,260 in May 2021 to $64,060 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 4.7%.
| Year | Median a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $56,260 | $27.05/hr |
| May 2022 | $60,440 | $29.06/hr |
| May 2023 | $62,680 | $30.13/hr |
| May 2024 | $68,540 | $32.95/hr |
| May 2025 | $64,060 | $30.80/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
How Kentucky compares
- Ironworkers are more concentrated in Kentucky than nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $98,360, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,240: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
- CincinnatiOH-KY-IN$75,700
- Louisville/Jefferson County$69,280
- Lexington–Fayette$64,000
Rural Kentucky
- Central Kentucky$69,850
- West Kentucky$63,350
- South Central Kentucky$56,480
Other trades in Kentucky
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in Kentucky?
- Ironworkers in Kentucky earn a median of $64,060 a year, or $30.80 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $98,360.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in Kentucky?
- The median hourly wage is $30.80. The middle half earn between $27.16 and $36.81 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in Kentucky?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.19 an hour ($48,240 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $27.16.
- Has ironworker pay gone up in Kentucky?
- The median ironworker wage in Kentucky rose 13.9%, from $56,260 in May 2021 to $64,060 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it fell 4.7%. (BLS wage data and Consumer Price Index.)
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Kentucky?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $64,060 a year ($30.80 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $76,570–$98,360.
- Where in Kentucky do ironworkers earn the most?
- Among Kentucky metro areas, Cincinnati has the highest median at $75,700 a year, and Lexington–Fayette the lowest at $64,000.
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 21. 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 (90.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures