How much do ironworkers make an hour in Detroit, MI?

The median hourly wage is $30.23. The middle half earn between $22.04 and $37.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice ironworkers make in Detroit, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.84 an hour ($41,260 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.04.

How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Detroit, MI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $62,870 a year ($30.23 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $77,180–$79,150.

Do ironworkers make more in Detroit or South Bend?

South Bend pays more: the median is $62,870 in Detroit and $73,640 in South Bend, a 15% difference.

How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?

The Detroit median of $62,870 is about the same as the Michigan median of $62,830.

Ironworker salary in Detroit, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $62,870 a year, or $30.23 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,150 a year. That's about the same as the Michigan median of $62,830.

Median yearly pay$62,870

Bottom 10% under$41,260Top 10% over$79,150

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $19.84/hr
Jobs in this area: 930
After cost of living: $62,680
Median hourly pay: $30.23/hr
vs U.S. median: 0%
vs Michigan median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 19820, Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). 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.

Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice	$41,260–$45,840$19.84–$22.04/hr
Journeyman	$62,870$30.23/hr
Top earners	$77,180–$79,150$37.11–$38.05/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Detroit, MI compares

Detroit ranks 3rd of 4 Michigan metro areas for ironworker pay.
Ironworkers are more concentrated in the Detroit area than nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $79,150, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $41,260: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Detroit, MI

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Lineman Plumber Diesel mechanic Carpenter Elevator mechanic Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Millwright

Questions

How much do ironworkers make in Detroit, MI?: Ironworkers in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $62,870 a year, or $30.23 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,150 a year.
How much do ironworkers make an hour in Detroit, MI?: The median hourly wage is $30.23. The middle half earn between $22.04 and $37.11 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice ironworkers make in Detroit, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $19.84 an hour ($41,260 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.04.
How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Detroit, MI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $62,870 a year ($30.23 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $77,180–$79,150.
Do ironworkers make more in Detroit or South Bend?: South Bend pays more: the median is $62,870 in Detroit and $73,640 in South Bend, a 15% difference.
How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?: The Detroit median of $62,870 is about the same as the Michigan median of $62,830.

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 19820 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). 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 (100.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures