Ironworker salary in Virginia Beach, VA-NC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Ironworkers in the Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA-NC area earn a median of $58,630 a year, or $28.19 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,250. Statewide, ironworkers earn a median of $60,260; Virginia Beach is 3% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.87/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 700
- After cost of living
- $59,860
- Median hourly pay
- $28.19/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −7%
- vs Virginia median
- −3%
Apprentice, journeyman and top ironworker pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,560–$49,380$22.87–$23.74/hr | |
| Journeyman | $58,630$28.19/hr | |
| Top earners | $64,980–$74,250$31.24–$35.70/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Virginia Beach, VA-NC compares
- Virginia Beach ranks 4th of 6 Virginia metro areas for ironworker pay.
- Ironworkers are more concentrated in the Virginia Beach area than nationally: 0.9 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $74,250, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,560: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Virginia metro areas
Other trades in Virginia Beach, VA-NC
Questions
- How much do ironworkers make in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- Ironworkers in the Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA-NC area earn a median of $58,630 a year, or $28.19 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $74,250.
- How much do ironworkers make an hour in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- The median hourly wage is $28.19. The middle half earn between $23.74 and $31.24 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice ironworkers make in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.87 an hour ($47,560 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $23.74.
- How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $58,630 a year ($28.19 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $64,980–$74,250.
- Do ironworkers make more in Virginia Beach or Washington?
- Washington pays more: the median is $58,630 in Virginia Beach and $68,320 in Washington, a 14% difference.
- How does Virginia Beach pay compare with the rest of Virginia?
- The Virginia Beach median of $58,630 is 3% less than the Virginia median of $60,260.
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 47260 (Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-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 (97.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures