Structural Iron and Steel Workers
SOC 47-2221 · 2024-2034
Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $78,439per year
- Projected openings
- 6,220
- 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.
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Coordination
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Quality Control Analysis
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $113,913 | 210 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $107,880 | 130 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $100,051 | 380 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $88,384 | 50 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $78,766 | 820 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $78,162 | 810 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $77,925 | 370 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $77,118 | 1,310 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $76,062 | 70 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $73,910 | 200 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $68,661 | 90 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $61,990 | 40 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $58,768 | 180 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $50,059 | 50 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $49,740 | 50 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $48,176 | 1,330 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $48,766
- A quarter earn under
- $60,824
- Half earn under
- $78,439
- Three quarters earn under
- $106,797
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $121,228
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers | $64,820 | 2,660 | +5.9% |
| Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters | $58,904 | 2,460 | -20% |
| Sheet Metal Workers | $78,665 | 7,970 | +5.5% |
| Millwrights | $80,154 | 2,010 | 0% |
| Carpenters | $77,977 | 110,410 | +6.4% |
| Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers | $67,665 | 25,830 | +5% |
Programs that train for this job — 7
California Field Ironworkers Apprenticeship LU 433 JATC
California Field Ironworkers Apprenticeship LU 433 JATC · La Palma · $0
Professional Welding Academy
Butte County Regional Occupational Program · Chico · $3,553
Structural Welding Course
Cal-Trade Welding School · Modesto · $7,895
Welding: Pipe Welding Technology (Certificate of Achievement)
Allan Hancock College · Santa Maria · $1,920
Welding Technology (Associates in Science)
Allan Hancock College · Santa Maria · $4,340
Welding: Metal Fabrication (Certificate of Achievement)
Allan Hancock College · Santa Maria · $1,870
Welding: Welding Technology (Certificate of Achievement)
Allan Hancock College · Santa Maria · $2,726