Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2221.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $62,382
- Projected change
- +7.8%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 72.54K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
75.8% of the workforce
Growing to 78.21K by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
Showing United States
Loading available locations…
Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
Loading related ASU learning
The work
What structural iron and steel workers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
- Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.
- Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
- Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope.
- Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels.
- Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members.
- Cut, bend, or weld steel pieces, using metal shears, torches, or welding equipment.
- Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails.
- Force structural steel members into final positions, using turnbuckles, crowbars, jacks, or hand tools.
- Pull, push, or pry structural steel members into approximate positions for bolting into place.
- Unload and position prefabricated steel units for hoisting, as needed.
- Drive drift pins through rivet holes to align rivet holes in structural steel members with corresponding holes in previously placed members.
- Assemble hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
- Fabricate metal parts, such as steel frames, columns, beams, or girders, according to blueprints or instructions from supervisors.
- Dismantle structures or equipment.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $43,676
- 25th percentile
- $49,213
- 50th percentile
- $62,382
- 75th percentile
- $82,965
- 90th percentile
- $109,765
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $62,382 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.8%faster than average
202572,544 jobs
2035 projected78,212 jobs
5,668 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 75.8%
- Certificate
- 19.2%
- Bachelor's degree
- 5%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Sign Installers1,164 postings
- 02Fabricators1,044 postings
- 03Metal Fabricators936 postings
- 04Ironworkers618 postings
- 05Billboard Installers409 postings
- 06Technicians369 postings
- 07Fitters316 postings
- 08Welders302 postings
- 09Structural Fitters294 postings
- 10Structural Welders260 postings
- 11Structural Mechanics251 postings
- 12Steel Fabricators245 postings
- 13Chimney Sweeps238 postings
- 14Journeyman Ironworkers209 postings
- 15Sign Fabricators208 postings
- 16Service Technicians175 postings
- 17Structural Ironworkers173 postings
- 18Metal Workers155 postings
- 19Ironworker Foremen147 postings
- 20Pharmacy Technicians147 postings
Top employers
- 01Aerotek644 postings
- 02GPAC264 postings
- 03Lamar Advertising Company260 postings
- 04HCA Healthcare255 postings
- 05Structural239 postings
- 06Yale New Haven Health181 postings
- 07Jackson Physician Search150 postings
- 08K&A Recruiting121 postings
- 09Gregory Poole Equipment Company116 postings
- 10Gulfstream Aerospace104 postings
- 11Kanpak95 postings
- 12Express Employment Professionals94 postings
- 13Artisan Direct91 postings
- 14Gillmann Services78 postings
- 15TIC - The Industrial Company74 postings
- 16Bechtel62 postings
- 17Republic Services62 postings
- 18Onsight Industries60 postings
- 19Kelly Services59 postings
- 20Hoist And Crane Service Group58 postings
Keep looking