Statewide pay Government data
Ironworkers in Wisconsin earn a statewide median of $92,820 a year, 45% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #9 of 49 states and DC. About 710 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Wisconsin
See all states on the ironworker overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes ironworker pay for 4 Wisconsin metros. The highest-paying is La Crosse at $100,160, followed by Milwaukee and Appleton.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| La CrosseWISCONSIN · WI | $100,160 | $109,144 | 40 |
| MilwaukeeWISCONSIN · WI | $95,730 | $98,755 | 240 |
| AppletonWISCONSIN · WI | $93,960 | $101,667 | 80 |
| MadisonWISCONSIN · WI | $92,460 | $95,038 | 70 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Wisconsin's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,900 openings a year. Typical training: apprenticeship.
Nationally, ironworkers have 131 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.5× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often ironworkers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most ironworkers train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of ironworker apprentices in Wisconsin who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 50% completed (U.S.: 44%), about 45 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,352 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
From 2015 to 2024, steel erection contractors in Wisconsin filed 18 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 2 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was falls, slips and trips (50% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only ironworkers.
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Licensing in Wisconsin Official source
The main state licensing office in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services. It can point you to the right license for ironworkers.
Official Wisconsin licensing site ↗
Requirements for ironworkers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 6.4% of wage and salary workers in Wisconsin were union members, below the U.S. rate of about 10% (#30 of 51 states and D.C.), and 7.5% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only ironworkers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Wisconsin
All trades in Wisconsin.