Sheet Metal Workers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for sheet metal workers in the U.S. is $61,800 ($29.71 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $61,800
- Mean annual wage
- $67,850
- Median hourly wage
- $29.71
- Employment
- 119,770
119,770 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,630 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $47,830 | $22.99 |
| Median (50th) | $61,800 | $29.71 |
| 75th percentile | $81,610 | $39.24 |
| 90th percentile | $105,650 | $50.79 |
Highest-paying states for sheet metal workers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $98,550 | 3,440 |
| Hawaii | $96,350 | 490 |
| Alaska | $94,600 | 240 |
| New Jersey | $92,840 | 2,790 |
| Illinois | $86,630 | 3,260 |
| Massachusetts | $82,100 | 2,890 |
| Connecticut | $78,750 | 1,480 |
| Wisconsin | $77,760 | 3,180 |
| California | $76,590 | 8,390 |
| Ohio | $74,790 | 4,180 |
Lowest-paying states
- Arkansas: $45,820 median annual wage
- Idaho: $46,350 median annual wage
- Nevada: $46,730 median annual wage
- Alabama: $47,530 median annual wage
- South Dakota: $47,800 median annual wage
About this occupation
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.
Typical tasks
- Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
- Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
- Maneuver completed roofing units into position for installation.
- Perform building commissioning activities by completing mechanical inspections of a building's water, lighting, or heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
- Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
- Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 13.1% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 50.1% |
| Some college, no degree | 22.5% |
| Associate's degree | 9.2% |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.4% |
| Master's degree | 0.5% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 0.1% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Construction Laborers$47,120
- First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers$79,920
- Electricians$63,190
- Carpenters$60,580
- Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators$59,850
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters$63,800
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance$49,400
- Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers$57,020
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.