How much do reinforcing ironworkers make in 2026?
Reinforcing ironworkers have their own BLS wage series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-2171 national median as $58,970 a year ($28.35 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $43,310 and the top 10% at $104,540. It is a small trade — roughly 13,800 workers — and one of the most physically demanding in construction: placing and tying reinforcing steel to drawings, bending and cutting bar, setting dowels and couplers, and doing it bent over a deck or in a footing before the concrete arrives. The internal pay structure is straightforward. General placing and tying sits around the median. Above it sit three specialisms: post-tensioning, where installing, stressing and grouting tendons carries both technical requirement and real hazard; detailing and layout, where the ironworker works from placing drawings and controls what the crew installs; and foreman work on heavy civil concrete, where sequencing rebar to pour schedules on bridges, treatment plants and parking structures determines the whole schedule. As with structural work, most large-scale rebar placing is union, so pension and annuity credits form a significant part of total compensation. Employment is projected to grow 4.6% through 2034 with roughly 1,500 openings a year. → Full reinforcing ironworker career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $58,970 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Reinforcing Ironworkers earn a national median $58,970/yr ($28.35/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2171); the P10 to P90 range is $43,310 to $104,540.
- Reinforcing iron and rebar workers have a dedicated BLS series: a $58,970 median with a $43,310 to $104,540 band, in a small trade of roughly 13,800 workers.
- Post-tensioning, detailing and layout, and heavy civil foreman work are the three routes above the median; general placing and tying sits at it.
- Large-scale rebar placing is largely union work, so pension and annuity credits are a substantial part of compensation that the wage figure does not capture.
US Reinforcing Ironworker Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do reinforcing ironworkers earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-2171; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2171, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a reinforcing ironworker earn at each career stage?
Rodbuster pay rises through specialism and layout responsibility rather than through tying speed alone. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2171.
By State
Which states pay reinforcing ironworkers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Rebar geography follows structural concrete volume and agreement coverage: states with bridge and transit programmes, seismic detailing requirements and strong ironworker agreements pay above the modeled figure, while light commercial markets sit nearer the middle of the band.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($67,820), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay reinforcing ironworkers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Metro work carries a premium because urban concrete means congested reinforcement, deep foundations and post-tensioned decks, all of which need experienced crews working to tight pour windows.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a reinforcing ironworker’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does reinforcing ironworker pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Reinforcing Ironworkers sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify reinforcing ironworker wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a reinforcing ironworker actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Reinforcing Ironworker Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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