How much do ironworkers make an hour in Pittsburgh, PA?

The median hourly wage is $39.84. The middle half earn between $32.04 and $42.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice ironworkers make in Pittsburgh, PA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.08 an hour ($56,330 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $32.04.

How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Pittsburgh, PA?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $82,860 a year ($39.84 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $88,650–$106,150.

Do ironworkers make more in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?

Philadelphia pays more: the median is $82,860 in Pittsburgh and $103,330 in Philadelphia, a 20% difference.

How does Pittsburgh pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?

The Pittsburgh median of $82,860 is about the same as the Pennsylvania median of $82,970.

Ironworker salary in Pittsburgh, PA

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Pittsburgh, PA area earn a median of $82,860 a year, or $39.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $106,150. Across all of Pennsylvania, the median is $82,970, so Pittsburgh pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$82,860

Bottom 10% under$56,330Top 10% over$106,150

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $27.08/hr
Jobs in this area: 370
After cost of living: $87,520
Median hourly pay: $39.84/hr
vs U.S. median: +32%
vs Pennsylvania median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 38300, Pittsburgh, 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

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Apprentice	$56,330–$66,640$27.08–$32.04/hr
Journeyman	$82,860$39.84/hr
Top earners	$88,650–$106,150$42.62–$51.03/hr

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

How Pittsburgh, PA compares

Pittsburgh ranks 3rd of 6 Pennsylvania metro areas for ironworker pay.
Ironworkers are less concentrated in the Pittsburgh area than nationally: 0.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.76 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $106,150, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $56,330: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Pittsburgh, PA

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

Questions

How much do ironworkers make in Pittsburgh, PA?: Ironworkers in the Pittsburgh, PA area earn a median of $82,860 a year, or $39.84 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $106,150.
How much do ironworkers make an hour in Pittsburgh, PA?: The median hourly wage is $39.84. The middle half earn between $32.04 and $42.62 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice ironworkers make in Pittsburgh, PA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $27.08 an hour ($56,330 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $32.04.
How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Pittsburgh, PA?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $82,860 a year ($39.84 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $88,650–$106,150.
Do ironworkers make more in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?: Philadelphia pays more: the median is $82,860 in Pittsburgh and $103,330 in Philadelphia, a 20% difference.
How does Pittsburgh pay compare with the rest of Pennsylvania?: The Pittsburgh median of $82,860 is about the same as 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 38300 (Pittsburgh, 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 (94.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures