How much do ironworkers make an hour in Lincoln, NE?

The median hourly wage is $27.84. The middle half earn between $22.52 and $30.72 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice ironworkers make in Lincoln, NE?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.52 an hour ($46,830 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.52.

How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Lincoln, NE?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $57,900 a year ($27.84 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $63,890–$71,850.

Do ironworkers make more in Lincoln or Omaha?

Omaha pays more: the median is $57,900 in Lincoln and $74,430 in Omaha, a 22% difference.

How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?

The Lincoln median of $57,900 is 12% less than the Nebraska median of $65,470.

Ironworker salary in Lincoln, NE

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $57,900 a year, or $27.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,850 a year. That's 12% less than the Nebraska median of $65,470.

Median yearly pay$57,900

Bottom 10% under$46,830Top 10% over$71,850

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.52/hr
Jobs in this area: 130
After cost of living: $63,220
Median hourly pay: $27.84/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
vs Nebraska median: −12%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 30700, Lincoln, NE). 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	$46,830–$46,830$22.52–$22.52/hr
Journeyman	$57,900$27.84/hr
Top earners	$63,890–$71,850$30.72–$34.55/hr

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

How Lincoln, NE compares

Ironworkers are more concentrated in the Lincoln area than nationally: 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $71,850, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,830: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Nebraska metro areas

Omaha$74,430

Other trades in Lincoln, NE

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

Questions

How much do ironworkers make in Lincoln, NE?: Ironworkers in the Lincoln, NE area earn a median of $57,900 a year, or $27.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,850 a year.
How much do ironworkers make an hour in Lincoln, NE?: The median hourly wage is $27.84. The middle half earn between $22.52 and $30.72 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice ironworkers make in Lincoln, NE?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.52 an hour ($46,830 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $22.52.
How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Lincoln, NE?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $57,900 a year ($27.84 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $63,890–$71,850.
Do ironworkers make more in Lincoln or Omaha?: Omaha pays more: the median is $57,900 in Lincoln and $74,430 in Omaha, a 22% difference.
How does Lincoln pay compare with the rest of Nebraska?: The Lincoln median of $57,900 is 12% less than the Nebraska median of $65,470.

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 30700 (Lincoln, NE). 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 (91.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures