Ironworker salary in Grand Rapids, MI
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the Grand Rapids–Wyoming–Kentwood, MI area earn a median of $65,250 a year, or $31.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,980. Across all of Michigan, the median is $62,830, so Grand Rapids pays 4% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.62/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 230
- After cost of living
- $68,290
- Median hourly pay
- $31.37/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +4%
- vs Michigan median
- +4%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,060–$52,000$22.62–$25.00/hr | |
| Journeyman | $65,250$31.37/hr | |
| Top earners | $73,390–$75,980$35.28–$36.53/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Grand Rapids, MI compares
- Grand Rapids ranks 2nd of 4 Michigan metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers are less concentrated in the Grand Rapids area than nationally: 0.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.86 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $75,980, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,060: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Michigan metro areas
Other trades in Grand Rapids, MI
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in Grand Rapids, MI?
- Ironworkers in the Grand Rapids–Wyoming–Kentwood, MI area earn a median of $65,250 a year, or $31.37 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $75,980.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in Grand Rapids, MI?
- The median hourly wage is $31.37. The middle half earn between $25.00 and $35.28 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in Grand Rapids, MI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.62 an hour ($47,060 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $25.00.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Grand Rapids, MI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $65,250 a year ($31.37 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $73,390–$75,980.
- Do ironworkers make more in Grand Rapids or South Bend?
- South Bend pays more: the median is $65,250 in Grand Rapids and $73,640 in South Bend, a 11% difference.
- How does Grand Rapids pay compare with the rest of Michigan?
- The Grand Rapids median of $65,250 is 4% more than 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 24340 (Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, 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 (95.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures