Rebar Workers in the El Paso area earn a median of $46,470 a year, 18% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #23 of 24 metros nationwide.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for rebar workers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and below average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.4%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.3% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 1,401 one-person foundation, framing & exterior work businesses averaging $56,954 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $63/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
El Paso scorecard for rebar workers Our calculation
Grades compare El Paso with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers.
Pay over time
The median pay for rebar workers in the El Paso area went from $43,110 in 2020 to $46,470 in 2025, up 7.8%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -14.0% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in El Paso Our calculation
Prices in El Paso run 10% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $51,684 would in a typical place, ranking #17 of 23 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 rebar workers do
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.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
- Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions.
- Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers.
- Use forklifts or cranes to move construction material, such as rebar.
- Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, rebar worker jobs are projected to shrink 5.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 1,000 openings a year. About 18% are self-employed.
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.
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.
Search apprenticeship openings near El Paso ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in Texas Official source
The main state licensing office in Texas is the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Plumbers are licensed by the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. It can point you to the right license for rebar workers.
Official Texas licensing site ↗
Requirements for rebar workers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
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.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying TX metros for rebar workers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BeaumontTEXAS · TX | $60,320 | $66,988 | 200 |
| HoustonTEXAS · TX | $51,860 | $52,581 | 1,500 |
| DallasTEXAS · TX | $50,910 | $49,384 | 760 |
| AustinTEXAS · TX | $50,270 | $51,261 | 330 |
| El PasoTEXAS · TX | $46,470 | $51,684 | 50 |
See every metro in Texas.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The El Paso area's unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025 (all workers, not just rebar workers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the El Paso area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 74% drive alone, 1% take transit and 7% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The El Paso area's population grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025 (869,771 → 881,291), ranking #242 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -8,019).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in El Paso
The El Paso area has about 329,122 homes. 38% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 21% were built in 2010 or later. 64% of households own their home, and the median home value is $208,800.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in El Paso are down 31% from 2021 to 2025 (2,989 → 2,050).
In 2025 the El Paso area approved permits for 2,050 new homes (1,790 single-family), or 2.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #272 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 1,401 one-person businesses (no employees) in foundation, framing & exterior work, averaging $56,954 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 165 foundation, framing & exterior work companies that have employees (about 1,431 workers in total). 61% 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 $46,470 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 rebar worker pricing & estimate templates →Compare El Paso with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- 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.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, 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.