TradeSalary

Ironworker salary in Lancaster, PA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Lancaster, PA area earn a median of $74,950 a year, or $36.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $107,690. Statewide, ironworkers earn a median of $82,970; Lancaster is 10% below it.

Median yearly pay$74,950
Bottom 10% under$52,740Top 10% over$107,690
Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
$25.36/hr
Jobs in this area
140
After cost of living
$76,280
Median hourly pay
$36.03/hr
vs U.S. median
+19%
vs Pennsylvania median
−10%
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 29540, Lancaster, PA). 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

StageYearly payHourly pay
Apprentice$52,740–$54,960$25.36–$26.42/hr
Journeyman$74,950$36.03/hr
Top earners$85,400–$107,690$41.06–$51.77/hr

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

How Lancaster, PA compares

  • Lancaster ranks 5th of 6 Pennsylvania metro areas for ironworker pay.
  • Ironworkers are more concentrated in the Lancaster area than nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.
  • The 90th-percentile wage, $107,690, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $52,740: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Lancaster, PA

Questions

How much do ironworkers make in Lancaster, PA?
Ironworkers in the Lancaster, PA area earn a median of $74,950 a year, or $36.03 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $107,690.
How much do ironworkers make an hour in Lancaster, PA?
The median hourly wage is $36.03. The middle half earn between $26.42 and $41.06 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice ironworkers make in Lancaster, PA?
BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $25.36 an hour ($52,740 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $26.42.
How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Lancaster, PA?
BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $74,950 a year ($36.03 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $85,400–$107,690.
Do ironworkers make more in Lancaster or Philadelphia?
Philadelphia pays more: the median is $74,950 in Lancaster and $103,330 in Philadelphia, a 27% difference.
How does Lancaster pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?
The Lancaster median of $74,950 is 10% less than the Pennsylvania median of $82,970.

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 29540 (Lancaster, PA). 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 (98.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures