Career Atlas USA

Structural Iron and Steel Workers

Median salary
$62,780
Average salary
$70,280
Employment
68,380
Projected growth
4.4% growth
Annual openings
5,500
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent

What Structural Iron and Steel Workers Do

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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience
None
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship
Self-employed
1.9%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 2 of 5

Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed

Experience
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
Education
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Job training
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

  • Building and Constructionimportance 4.6/5
  • Mechanicalimportance 3.7/5
  • Mathematicsimportance 3.5/5
  • Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.3/5
  • Administration and Managementimportance 3.0/5
  • English Languageimportance 2.9/5
  • Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 2.9/5
  • Designimportance 2.8/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

  • Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets5.0/5
  • Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable4.8/5
  • Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions4.8/5
  • Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls4.7/5
  • Exposed to High Places4.7/5
  • Spend Time Standing4.6/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

  • Coordinationimportance 3.6/5
  • Operations Monitoringimportance 3.6/5
  • Operation and Controlimportance 3.6/5
  • Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
  • Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.0/5
  • Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.0/5
  • Time Managementimportance 3.0/5
  • Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

  • Dependability
  • Cautiousness
  • Attention to Detail
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Perseverance
  • Achievement Orientation
  • Integrity

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

  • RealisticHigh
  • ConventionalMedium
  • InvestigativeLow
  • ArtisticLow
  • EnterprisingLow
  • SocialLow

Specific Interests

A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.

Military Backgrounds That Lead Here

Military occupations commonly matched to this career, per the DMDC Military Crosswalk.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where structural iron and steel workers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

  1. 1Rapid City, SD5.15× national avg
  2. 2Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX4.29× national avg
  3. 3Corpus Christi, TX3.94× national avg
  4. 4Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ3.32× national avg
  5. 5Rockford, IL3.16× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

See the full career path from Structural Iron and Steel Workers →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.

Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker

Full salary data & percentiles →Best states for this career →Highest-paying states →