Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
Median $65,380
Occupation · SOC 51-2041
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters: pay and where the jobs are
What structural metal fabricators and fitters earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$51,330 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $54,030
- Median hourly wage
- $24.68
- Mean hourly wage
- $25.98
- Employment
- 52,360
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-2041.
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See where your pay falls among structural metal fabricators and fitters nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do structural metal fabricators and fitters make?
The median annual wage for structural metal fabricators and fitters was $51,330 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,960 and the highest-paid 10% more than $72,280. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.68. About 52,360 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Maine ($64,760), Alaska ($63,420) and Oregon ($62,220). Maine also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for structural metal fabricators and fitters looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,960 | $18.25 | $3,163 | $2,723 |
| 25th percentile | $45,610 | $21.93 | $3,801 | $3,236 |
| Median | $51,330 | $24.68 | $4,278 | $3,619 |
| 75th percentile | $61,250 | $29.45 | $5,104 | $4,283 |
| 90th percentile | $72,280 | $34.75 | $6,023 | $4,973 |
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters: pay by state
48 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$52,754 take-home in national prices
2
$52,276 take-home in national prices
3
$51,649 take-home in national prices
Where a median structural metal fabricators and fitter paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | 770 | $64,760 | $49,350 | $75,790 | $51,197 | $52,754 |
| Alaska | 70 | $63,420 | $51,020 | $81,190 | $52,867 | $51,649 |
| Oregon | 560 | $62,220 | $44,560 | $83,440 | $47,655 | $46,106 |
| Massachusetts | 690 | $62,040 | $47,430 | $85,260 | $48,862 | $46,202 |
| Washington | 1,050 | $61,850 | $47,240 | $85,800 | $51,019 | $47,675 |
| Indiana | 3,870 | $60,180 | $40,680 | $68,580 | $48,789 | $52,276 |
| Connecticut | 500 | $58,760 | $41,740 | $75,200 | $46,618 | $44,994 |
| Idaho | 320 | $58,140 | $36,330 | $81,990 | $46,922 | $49,136 |
| California | 3,420 | $57,590 | $45,140 | $76,110 | $46,210 | $41,736 |
| Wisconsin | 1,810 | $56,310 | $40,670 | $66,050 | $45,537 | $48,395 |
| Minnesota | 640 | $56,210 | $39,860 | $75,990 | $44,799 | $45,425 |
| New Jersey | 1,540 | $55,650 | $44,520 | $73,330 | $44,944 | $41,307 |
| Illinois | 1,910 | $55,380 | $36,960 | $72,480 | $44,081 | $44,100 |
| Kentucky | 450 | $55,250 | $44,360 | $63,020 | $44,757 | $49,643 |
| New York | 2,040 | $55,080 | $41,400 | $73,350 | $43,790 | $40,576 |
| North Dakota | 140 | $54,430 | $48,480 | $61,900 | $45,915 | $51,613 |
| Virginia | 1,220 | $53,940 | $43,510 | $79,870 | $43,233 | $42,761 |
| New Hampshire | 100 | $53,920 | $45,140 | $72,800 | $45,505 | $43,685 |
| Missouri | 550 | $53,610 | $38,810 | $67,180 | $43,673 | $48,089 |
| Ohio | 1,090 | $52,300 | $38,230 | $61,440 | $43,208 | $46,574 |
| Alabama | 2,130 | $52,220 | $38,180 | $66,820 | $41,972 | $47,254 |
| Wyoming | 60 | $51,740 | $31,200 | $95,760 | $43,753 | $47,203 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,690 | $51,640 | $41,870 | $67,860 | $42,051 | $43,098 |
| Iowa | 650 | $51,360 | $40,080 | $65,850 | $42,148 | $48,025 |
| Colorado | 330 | $51,120 | $45,930 | $63,770 | $41,489 | $40,260 |
| South Dakota | 180 | $50,800 | $33,280 | $61,530 | $42,998 | $48,538 |
| Tennessee | 2,260 | $50,460 | $38,760 | $64,350 | $42,725 | $46,506 |
| Oklahoma | 710 | $50,380 | $38,990 | $65,770 | $40,939 | $46,604 |
| Maryland | 620 | $50,110 | $37,310 | $74,500 | $40,429 | $38,519 |
| Georgia | 560 | $50,010 | $37,630 | $69,330 | $40,616 | $42,180 |
| Louisiana | 2,520 | $49,120 | $22,400 | $65,630 | $40,561 | $45,983 |
| North Carolina | 1,070 | $48,990 | $35,480 | $68,790 | $40,097 | $42,509 |
| Nebraska | 580 | $48,820 | $39,710 | $68,720 | $40,065 | $44,466 |
| New Mexico | 240 | $48,700 | $37,440 | $60,320 | $40,184 | $43,577 |
| Texas | 4,440 | $48,490 | $36,470 | $70,950 | $41,142 | $42,389 |
| Arizona | 940 | $48,150 | $39,430 | $60,970 | $40,059 | $39,789 |
| Utah | 780 | $48,130 | $35,780 | $70,270 | $39,288 | $39,739 |
| Michigan | 1,270 | $47,950 | $37,960 | $67,580 | $38,921 | $40,451 |
| Kansas | 620 | $47,840 | $38,280 | $60,830 | $38,750 | $43,023 |
| Delaware | 110 | $46,940 | $31,720 | $71,160 | $37,780 | $37,853 |
| South Carolina | 1,020 | $46,910 | $41,110 | $61,200 | $39,077 | $41,683 |
| Florida | 2,950 | $46,880 | $35,310 | $59,760 | $39,848 | $38,533 |
| West Virginia | 180 | $46,880 | $37,790 | $65,560 | $38,536 | $43,058 |
| Hawaii | 60 | $43,750 | $35,760 | $69,570 | $35,534 | $32,318 |
| Mississippi | 700 | $42,550 | $30,300 | $59,740 | $35,399 | $40,710 |
| Arkansas | 640 | $41,260 | $32,230 | $56,990 | $34,293 | $39,446 |
| Nevada | 150 | $39,570 | $31,680 | $85,240 | $33,974 | $33,982 |
| Puerto Rico | 40 | $29,320 | $22,470 | $29,880 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 51-2041. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.