How much do ironworkers make an hour in Madison, WI?

The median hourly wage is $44.45. The middle half earn between $35.32 and $46.71 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice ironworkers make in Madison, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.45 an hour ($59,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $35.32.

How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Madison, WI?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $92,460 a year ($44.45 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $97,160–$105,040.

Do ironworkers make more in Madison or Minneapolis?

Minneapolis pays more: the median is $92,460 in Madison and $97,810 in Minneapolis, a 5% difference.

How does Madison pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?

The Madison median of $92,460 is about the same as the Wisconsin median of $92,820.

Ironworker salary in Madison, WI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Ironworkers in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $92,460 a year, or $44.45 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $105,040 a year. Across all of Wisconsin, the median is $92,820, so Madison pays about the same as the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$92,460

Bottom 10% under$59,170Top 10% over$105,040

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $28.45/hr
Jobs in this area: 70
After cost of living: $95,040
Median hourly pay: $44.45/hr
vs U.S. median: +47%
vs Wisconsin median: 0%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 31540, Madison, WI). 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	$59,170–$73,470$28.45–$35.32/hr
Journeyman	$92,460$44.45/hr
Top earners	$97,160–$105,040$46.71–$50.50/hr

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

How Madison, WI compares

Madison has the lowest ironworker median of the 5 Wisconsin metro areas with published pay.
Ironworkers are less concentrated in the Madison area than nationally: 0.2 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.39 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $105,040, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $59,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Wisconsin metro areas

Other trades in Madison, WI

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

Questions

How much do ironworkers make in Madison, WI?: Ironworkers in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $92,460 a year, or $44.45 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $105,040 a year.
How much do ironworkers make an hour in Madison, WI?: The median hourly wage is $44.45. The middle half earn between $35.32 and $46.71 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice ironworkers make in Madison, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.45 an hour ($59,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $35.32.
How much does a journeyman ironworker make in Madison, WI?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $92,460 a year ($44.45 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $97,160–$105,040.
Do ironworkers make more in Madison or Minneapolis?: Minneapolis pays more: the median is $92,460 in Madison and $97,810 in Minneapolis, a 5% difference.
How does Madison pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?: The Madison median of $92,460 is about the same as the Wisconsin median of $92,820.

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 31540 (Madison, WI). 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 (97.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures