Best degree programs for Structural Iron and Steel Workers, ranked by enrollment
1 college programs and 1 schools train Structural Iron and Steel Workers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $62,780 median wage, 68,380 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
1 college programs at 1 schools train structural iron and steel workers, graduating 5 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Metal Building Assembly/Assembler. The job pays a median of $62,780 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About structural iron and steel workers
Raise, place, and unite iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural members to form completed structures or structural frameworks. May erect metal storage tanks and assemble prefabricated metal buildings.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
1 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 46.0411 | 5 | 100.0% | 1 | $31,641 | $9,500 |
Top 1 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Metal Building Assembly/Assembler | 58% | — | — |
What structural iron and steel workers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsinlimited | $92,820 | 710 | 0.55× | 1 | 5 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Read specifications or blueprints to determine the locations, quantities, or sizes of materials required.
- Connect columns, beams, and girders with bolts, following blueprints and instructions from supervisors.
- Bolt aligned structural steel members in position for permanent riveting, bolting, or welding into place.
- Fasten structural steel members to hoist cables, using chains, cables, or rope.
- Hoist steel beams, girders, or columns into place, using cranes or signaling hoisting equipment operators to lift and position structural steel members.
- Verify vertical and horizontal alignment of structural steel members, using plumb bobs, laser equipment, transits, or levels.
- Cut, bend, or weld steel pieces, using metal shears, torches, or welding equipment.
- Erect metal or precast concrete components for structures, such as buildings, bridges, dams, towers, storage tanks, fences, or highway guard rails.
Skills
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Active Listening3.1
- Active Learning3.0
- Monitoring3.0
- Speaking3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
- Reading Comprehension2.8
- Writing2.3
Knowledge areas
- Building and Construction4.6
- Mechanical3.7
- Mathematics3.5
- Public Safety and Security3.3
- Administration and Management3.0
- English Language2.9
Abilities
- Multilimb Coordination4.1
- Static Strength4.1
- Near Vision4.0
- Manual Dexterity4.0
- Arm-Hand Steadiness4.0
- Visualization4.0
Core activities
- Handling and Moving Objects4.4
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials4.2
- Performing General Physical Activities4.2
- Getting Information4.1
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.0
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment3.9
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Structural Iron
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 1 majors mapped to Structural Iron and Steel Workers1 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 46.0411Metal Building Assembly/Assembler
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Structural Iron?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Metal Building Assembly/Assembler, which awarded 5 degrees in 2024-25, 100.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Structural Iron?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 1 programs to this occupation. The largest are Building/Construction Finishing. Together they graduate about 5 people a year.
How much do structural iron and steel workers earn?+
The median is $62,780 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $44,580 at the 10th percentile to $108,260 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for structural iron and steel workers growing?+
BLS projects a +4.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
1 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 1 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do structural iron and steel workers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Fitter, Ironworker, Iron Worker, Steel Worker among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 47-2221.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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