How much do ironworkers make an hour in Charleston, SC?

The median hourly wage is $27.78. The middle half earn between $23.10 and $29.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice ironworkers make in Charleston, SC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.41 an hour ($46,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.10.

How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Charleston, SC?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $57,780 a year ($27.78 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $61,730–$71,230.

Do ironworkers make more in Charleston or Augusta?

Charleston pays more: the median is $57,780 in Charleston and $56,900 in Augusta, a 2% difference.

How does Charleston pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?

The Charleston median of $57,780 is 14% more than the South Carolina median of $50,750.

Ironworker salary in Charleston, SC

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Charleston–North Charleston, SC area earn a median of $57,780 a year, or $27.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $71,230. Across all of South Carolina, the median is $50,750, so Charleston pays 14% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$57,780

Bottom 10% under$46,600Top 10% over$71,230

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $22.41/hr
Jobs in this area: 100
After cost of living: $57,230
Median hourly pay: $27.78/hr
vs U.S. median: −8%
vs South Carolina median: +14%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 16700, Charleston-North Charleston, SC). 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	$46,600–$48,040$22.41–$23.10/hr
Journeyman	$57,780$27.78/hr
Top earners	$61,730–$71,230$29.68–$34.24/hr

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

How Charleston, SC compares

Charleston has the highest ironworker median of the 5 South Carolina metro areas with published pay.
Ironworkers are less concentrated in the Charleston area than nationally: 0.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.57 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $71,230, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,600: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other South Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Charleston, SC

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

Questions

How much do ironworkers make in Charleston, SC?: Ironworkers in the Charleston–North Charleston, SC area earn a median of $57,780 a year, or $27.78 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $71,230.
How much do ironworkers make an hour in Charleston, SC?: The median hourly wage is $27.78. The middle half earn between $23.10 and $29.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice ironworkers make in Charleston, SC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.41 an hour ($46,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.10.
How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Charleston, SC?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $57,780 a year ($27.78 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $61,730–$71,230.
Do ironworkers make more in Charleston or Augusta?: Charleston pays more: the median is $57,780 in Charleston and $56,900 in Augusta, a 2% difference.
How does Charleston pay compare with the rest of South Carolina?: The Charleston median of $57,780 is 14% more than the South Carolina median of $50,750.

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 16700 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC). 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 (101.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures