Career
Structural iron and steel workers
Raise the steel frames of buildings and bridges.
$62,780
Median pay
+3.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
5,900
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
- Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels.
- Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails.
- Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
- Assemble or inspect hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Coordination, Judgment and Decision Making.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though apprenticeship is typical, for a median of $62,780 a year and 5,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Metal Building Assembly/AssemblerCIP 46.0411
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers$58,970 · -5.3%
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$51,330 · -6.2%
- Sheet Metal Workers$61,800 · +2.5%
- Carpenters$60,580 · +3.9%
- Millwrights$65,700 · +0.9%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.