Position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms in order to reinforce concrete. Use a variety of fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, and hand tools. Includes rod busters.
Median pay ranges from $27,120 to $102,080 depending on the metro. Most people train through: apprenticeship. Job growth and openings are national figures.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most rebar workers 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.
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Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Nationally, rebar workers have 34 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 60% below the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
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Registered apprenticeships
Of rebar worker apprentices nationally who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 35% completed, about 350 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
What the work is like Government data
How often rebar workers 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.
Highest-paying metros
Best real pay after local prices
What the median buys once each metro's price level is factored in.
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Best-paying states Government data
Statewide, rebar workers earn the most in Wisconsin ($121,620) and the least in Mississippi ($39,860), a gap of $81,760 a year.
BLS OEWS statewide medians, May 2025.
Rebar Worker pay by state
Compare with another trade
Side-by-side pay, growth, training and safety: rebar worker vs. construction supervisor, rebar worker vs. brickmason, rebar worker vs. carpenter, rebar worker vs. concrete finisher, rebar worker vs. construction laborer, rebar worker vs. drywall installer, rebar worker vs. glazier, rebar worker vs. insulation installer, rebar worker vs. roofer, rebar worker vs. sheet metal worker, rebar worker vs. ironworker, rebar worker vs. building inspector, rebar worker vs. fence installer and rebar worker vs. hazmat removal worker.