Sheet Metal Workers Salary
Construction and Extraction Occupations · 120K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$61,800
Median hourly
$30
Average annual
$67,850
Typical range
$38,630–$105,650
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Sheet Metal Workers is $61,800 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $30 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings. Work may involve any of the following: setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend, and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks, or forms using hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling, and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces.
Most earn between $38,630 and $105,650 a year. There are roughly 120K people employed as sheet metal workers in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Sheet Metal Workers.
- Hourly
- $29.71
- Daily
- $238
- Weekly
- $1,188
- Bi-weekly
- $2,377
- Monthly
- $5,150
- Annual
- $61,800
$61,800 a year is around the 50th percentile for Sheet Metal Workerss. The median is $61,800.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Washington$98,550
- 2Hawaii$96,350
- 3Alaska$94,600
- 4New Jersey$92,840
- 5Illinois$86,630
- 6Massachusetts$82,100
- 7Connecticut$78,750
- 8Wisconsin$77,760
- 9California$76,590
- 10Ohio$74,790
- 11New York$73,760
- 12Oregon$73,750
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$109,830
- 2San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$109,280
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$102,660
- 4Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA$100,650
- 5Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ$100,470
- 6Anchorage, AK$98,070
- 7Kennewick-Richland, WA$96,000
- 8Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$95,310
- 9Urban Honolulu, HI$93,380
- 10Michigan City-La Porte, IN$93,350
- 11Champaign-Urbana, IL$92,710
- 12Bellingham, WA$90,840
Related job titles
Employers advertise Sheet Metal Workers roles under these titles.
Related occupations
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters$51,330
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers$65,380
- Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic$63,870
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers$62,780
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers$58,930
- Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall$49,120
- Insulation Workers, Mechanical$58,340
- Carpenters$60,580
What a Sheet Metal Workers does
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
- Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.
- Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
- Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
- Shape metal material over anvils, blocks, or other forms, using hand tools.
- Trim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools.
- Fabricate ducts for high efficiency heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to maximize efficiency of systems.
- Fasten seams or joints together with welds, bolts, cement, rivets, solder, caulks, metal drive clips, or bonds to assemble components into products or to repair sheet metal items.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Sheet Metal Workers make?
- The median annual wage for Sheet Metal Workers is $61,800 ($30 per hour). Pay ranges from about $38,630 at the 10th percentile to $105,650 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Sheet Metal Workers?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $67,850, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Sheet Metal Workerss the most?
- Washington has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $98,550.
- Is Sheet Metal Workers a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 120K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Sheet Metal Workers do?
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.; Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.; Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions..