How much do sheet metal workers make in 2026?
Sheet metal workers earn a national median of $61,800 a year ($29.71 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 47-2211), with the bottom 10% at about $38,630 and the top 10% at $105,650. The band is wide for a single occupation because the trade spans very different work. Shop fabrication — running coil lines, brakes, plasma tables and welding sheet assemblies — sits in the lower half. Field installation of commercial ductwork, plant rooms and architectural metal pays higher, particularly on prevailing-wage projects, and the top of the range belongs to specialists: testing, adjusting and balancing technicians who commission air systems, detailers who model ductwork for coordination, and foremen running large mechanical packages. Entry is typically a four- or five-year apprenticeship combining shop and field work. Employment is projected to grow 2.4% through 2034 with roughly 10,600 openings a year. → Full sheet metal worker career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $61,800 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Sheet Metal Workers earn a national median $61,800/yr ($29.71/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-2211); the P10 to P90 range is $38,630 to $105,650.
- The $38,630 to $105,650 range is wide because the trade covers shop fabrication, field duct installation and commissioning specialisms that pay very differently.
- Field installation, especially on prevailing-wage projects, pays above shop fabrication, and testing, adjusting and balancing work sits at the top of the band.
- Detailing and coordination skills — modelling ductwork against other trades — are increasingly the route from the tools into better-paid technical roles.
US Sheet Metal Worker Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do sheet metal workers 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 47-2211; 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 47-2211, 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 sheet metal worker earn at each career stage?
Sheet metal pay follows shop-versus-field work, layout skill and commissioning specialisms. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-2211.
By State
Which states pay sheet metal workers the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Sheet metal pay is strongly influenced by prevailing-wage law, because much of the field work is on public and institutional buildings where wage determinations apply. Local mechanical licensing rules and the density of commercial construction — data centres, hospitals, laboratories — also decide whether high-specification duct and balancing work exists in a market at all.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($71,070), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay sheet metal workers the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a sheet metal worker’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 sheet metal worker pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Sheet Metal Workers 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 sheet metal worker wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a sheet metal worker 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
Sheet Metal Worker Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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