The Reality.
Four-year apprenticeship. Pays at or near the top of the construction trades. Also has one of the highest fatality rates in the industry — falls and crushing injuries. It's a trade where you grow up fast or you don't grow up at all.
The Money.
| Stage | Hourly | Approx. annual (40 hr × 50 wk) |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 apprentice | $22–$32/hr | $44,000 – $64,000 |
| Journeyman (top of scale) | $42–$68/hr | $84,000 – $136,000 |
| BLS national median (all stages) | — | $58,550 |
| BLS top 10% (90th percentile) | — | $99,880 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS (May 2024 release). Apprentice/journeyman hourly ranges synthesized from union scale data and reported non-union rates. Major-metro union scale runs higher; smaller markets run lower.
The Path.
- · OSHA 10
- · OSHA 30
- · Rigging & Signal
- · Welding certs
What the recruiter won't tell you.
- 01Fatality rate among the highest in construction. Heights aren't for everyone — be honest with yourself.
- 02Heavy travel for major projects. 'Boomer' work means weeks away from home.
- 03Layoffs between projects are normal. Plan finances for feast-or-famine cycles.
- 04Almost entirely union — non-union ironwork is rare and usually pays badly.
The Tool Bill.
What you'll spend on tools in your first year. Don't let anyone tell you it's less.
More in construction trades.
All trades →Builds the frame, hangs the doors, runs the trim, sets the cabinets. The broadest trade — five carpenters can do five different jobs.
Runs the big iron — cranes, excavators, bulldozers, graders. Solid pay, strong union, less brutal on the body than other construction trades.
Lays brick, block, and stone. Old trade, slow to change, body-intensive. Skilled masons command top pay; helpers, not so much.