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SOC 47-2211General Trades

Sheet Metal Workers

Fabricate, assemble, install, and repair sheet metal products and equipment such as ducts, control boxes, drainpipes, and furnace casings.

Sheet Metal Workers earn a median $28.68/hr ($59,660/yr). Top-paying state: Illinois at $45.33/hr. True labor cost with burden: ~$38.72/hr.

$28.68
Median Hourly
$31.15
Mean Hourly
$59,660
Median Annual
150,300
Employment

Wage Distribution

10th
$17.88/hr
25th
$22.12/hr
Median
$28.68/hr
75th
$38.44/hr
90th
$49.22/hr

Source: BLS OEWS May 2024. Percentiles represent the wage below which a given percentage of workers fall.

Top-Paying States

#StateMedian Hourly
1Illinois$45.33
2New Jersey$42.88
3Oregon$41.55
4New York$40.78
5Washington$39.67

Top-Paying Metro Areas

#Metro AreaMedian Hourly
1Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI$50.12
2San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA$48.67
3New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA$47.33
4Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA$43.88
5Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$42.55

True Labor Cost: ~$38.72/hr

The base wage of $28.68/hr becomes approximately $38.72/hr after applying a 1.35x burden rate (payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, overhead).

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