Sheet Metal Workers
SOC 47-2211 · 2024-2034
Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $78,665per year
- Projected openings
- 7,970
- Projected change
- +5.5%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Coordination
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
- Judgment and Decision Making
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $119,379 | 900 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $115,927 | 280 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $103,917 | 30 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $97,250 | 650 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $83,923 | 1,250 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $82,238 | 50 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $81,250 | 100 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $81,085 | 1,690 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $80,818 | 130 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $80,087 | 100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $79,565 | 1,560 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $79,284 | 580 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $78,780 | 160 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $78,450 | 290 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $77,874 | 110 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $75,918 | 90 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $75,856 | 770 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $65,305 | 130 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $62,844 | 50 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $62,752 | 170 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $48,694
- A quarter earn under
- $60,824
- Half earn under
- $78,665
- Three quarters earn under
- $110,268
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $135,771
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | $58,904 | 2,460 | -20% |
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | $65,092 | 2,580 | -13.3% |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | $78,439 | 6,220 | +5.5% |
| Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers | $67,665 | 25,830 | +5% |
| Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall | $50,163 | 2,690 | +3.1% |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | $122,932 | 1,220 | +7.1% |
Programs that train for this job — 13
SMAW - Stick Welding
Grossmont Adult School · El Cajon · $650
AIR CONDITIONING TRADE ASSOCIATION
Air Conditioning Trade Association · Manteca · $0
Comprehensive Welding SMAW Structural Steel Program
Welding Certification Center · Pomona · $15,965
Welding Technology/Welder -CHDC Woodland
California Human Development Corporation - ASET Centers · Santa Rosa · $8,150
Mig/Tig Specialty Course
Cal-Trade Welding School · Modesto · $9,495
Manufacturing - Welder
Reedley Community College · Reedley · $1,625
Bay Area Sheet Metal JAC
Bay Area Sheet Metal JAC · San Leandro · $0
Welding Technology - CA
College of the Redwoods · Eureka · $2,640
Combination Welding Trainee
Harbor Occupational Center - LAUSD · San Pedro · $5,993
General Welding - (Can include: Beginning, Intermediate or Advanced)
Visalia Adult School · Visalia · $1,169
Sheet Metal Workers and Tri County A/C - Sheet Metal Contractors Apprenticeship
Sheet Metal Workers and Tri County A/C - Sheet Metal Contra · Ventura · $0
Sheet Metal Worker Apprenticeship Program (Associated Builders & Contractors of San Diego)
ABC of San Diego, Inc. · Poway · $0
Welding Technology C.A.
Cuesta College · San Luis Obispo · $1,710