Ironworker salary in New Orleans, LA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $47,530 a year, or $22.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,630. Across all of Louisiana, the median is $68,830, so New Orleans pays 31% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $13.36/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 100
- After cost of living
- $51,330
- Median hourly pay
- $22.85/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −24%
- vs Louisiana median
- −31%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $27,790–$39,830$13.36–$19.15/hr | |
| Journeyman | $47,530$22.85/hr | |
| Top earners | $57,560–$63,630$27.67–$30.59/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How New Orleans, LA compares
- New Orleans ranks 2nd of 3 Louisiana metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers are less concentrated in the New Orleans area than nationally: 0.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.51 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $63,630, is 2.3 times the 10th-percentile wage, $27,790: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Louisiana metro areas
Other trades in New Orleans, LA
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in New Orleans, LA?
- Ironworkers in the New Orleans–Metairie, LA area earn a median of $47,530 a year, or $22.85 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $63,630.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in New Orleans, LA?
- The median hourly wage is $22.85. The middle half earn between $19.15 and $27.67 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in New Orleans, LA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $13.36 an hour ($27,790 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.15.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in New Orleans, LA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $47,530 a year ($22.85 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $57,560–$63,630.
- Do ironworkers make more in New Orleans or Baton Rouge?
- Baton Rouge pays more: the median is $47,530 in New Orleans and $73,470 in Baton Rouge, a 35% difference.
- How does New Orleans pay compare with the rest of Louisiana?
- The New Orleans median of $47,530 is 31% less than the Louisiana median of $68,830.
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 35380 (New Orleans-Metairie, LA). 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