Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Ironworker Salary in Philadelphia
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Structural · COL Index: 115
Ironworkers in Philadelphia, PA earn a median annual wage of $63,630 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $41,140 and the 90th at $72,580. After cost of living, that translates to $55,330 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (53/100).
What Ironworkers Take Home in Philadelphia
The $31,440 spread between entry-level and top-decile ironworkers in Philadelphia is relatively narrow — about 49% of the median. That tight band usually signals a trade where pay scales primarily with experience rather than employer or specialization. New entrants can expect to climb steadily toward median pay over their first 5-10 years.
With Philadelphia's cost-of-living index of 115, a ironworker earning $63,630 here translates to about $55,330 in U.S.-average purchasing power. That is a meaningful but manageable adjustment — the metro's higher pay typically clears the cost-of-living gap with room to spare in skilled trades.
With a Trade Pay Score of 53 (D), this trade-city pairing is below average. That typically reflects either weak nominal wages, sluggish 5-year wage growth, a high cost of living that hollows out real pay, or some combination. Workers should examine both the per-trade page (other cities for the same trade) and the per-city page (other trades in the same metro) to find a stronger fit.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $41,140 | $35,774 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $54,070 | $47,017 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $63,630 | $55,330 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $66,410 | $57,748 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $72,580 | $63,113 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for ironworkers, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Philadelphia are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Ironworker make in Philadelphia?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median ironworker salary in Philadelphia, PA is $63,630. The 10th percentile is $41,140 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $72,580 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Philadelphia pay compare for Ironworkers?
With a Trade Pay Score of 53/100 and a grade of D, the Philadelphia-Ironworker pairing is below average — workers should consider whether a different metro for the same trade might deliver a higher grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Ironworkers in Philadelphia?
Ironworkers typically complete a 4-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($41,140) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Ironworker pay in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has a cost-of-living index of 115. The median ironworker salary of $63,630 translates to $55,330 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Ironworkers in Philadelphia, PA earn a median annual wage of $63,630 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $41,140 and the 90th at $72,580. After cost of living, that translates to $55,330 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: D (53/100).
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
The methodology behind every numeric value on this page is publicly documented on the the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey portal and described in detail on this site’s methodology page. Refresh cadence varies by underlying series; the page surfaces the as-of date for each number so readers can trace any figure back to the source release.
For readers using this page as a decision input, the related-entity pages elsewhere on the site provide the comparison set. The most useful comparison for this entity is typically a peer within U.S. trades, cities, and states with similar size, similar exposure, or similar geography — not the national-level summary alone.