Ironworkers in the Madison area earn a median of $92,460 a year, 44% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #22 of 155 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Rockford and La Crosse.
Madison scorecard for ironworkers Our calculation
Grades compare Madison with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($64,000).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Madison Our calculation
Prices in Madison run 3% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $95,038 would in a typical place, ranking #16 of 154 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What ironworkers 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.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- 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.
- Assemble or inspect hoisting equipment or rigging, such as cables, pulleys, or hooks, to move heavy equipment or materials.
- Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, ironworker jobs are projected to grow 3.1% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 5,900 openings a year. About nan% are self-employed.
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 near Madison ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
On-the-job safety Government data
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.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying WI metros for ironworkers
| Metro | Median | 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 |
See every metro in Wisconsin.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Madison area's unemployment rate was 2.6% in 2025 (all workers, not just ironworkers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 2.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Madison area is 22 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 68% drive alone, 4% take transit and 16% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Madison are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (7,194 → 6,947).
In 2025 the Madison area approved permits for 6,947 new homes (1,725 single-family), or 10.0 per 1,000 residents, ranking #30 of 393 metros, among the busiest building markets in the country.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 446 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $109,527 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 268 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 2,076 workers in total). 60% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $92,460 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get ironworker pricing & estimate templates →Compare Madison with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.