Ironworker salary in Durham, NC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $57,810 a year, or $27.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $60,530 a year. Statewide, ironworkers earn a median of $48,740; Durham is 19% above it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $18.66/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 100
- After cost of living
- $59,250
- Median hourly pay
- $27.79/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −8%
- vs North Carolina median
- +19%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $38,810–$48,740$18.66–$23.43/hr | |
| Journeyman | $57,810$27.79/hr | |
| Top earners | $59,900–$60,530$28.80–$29.10/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Durham, NC compares
- Durham ranks 2nd of 5 North Carolina metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers are less concentrated in the Durham area than nationally: 0.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.67 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $60,530, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $38,810: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other North Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Durham, NC
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in Durham, NC?
- Ironworkers in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $57,810 a year, or $27.79 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $60,530 a year.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in Durham, NC?
- The median hourly wage is $27.79. The middle half earn between $23.43 and $28.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in Durham, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $18.66 an hour ($38,810 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.43.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Durham, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $57,810 a year ($27.79 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $59,900–$60,530.
- Do ironworkers make more in Durham or Virginia Beach?
- Virginia Beach pays more: the median is $57,810 in Durham and $58,630 in Virginia Beach, a 1% difference.
- How does Durham pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?
- The Durham median of $57,810 is 19% more than the North Carolina median of $48,740.
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 20500 (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC). 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 (97.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures