State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Sheet Metal Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Sheet Metal Workers earn a median of $61,800 per year ($29.71/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 2.4% through 2034, with about 10,600 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 47-2211Construction and ExtractionLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $61,800
- Projected growth
- +2.4%
- Openings a year
- 10,600
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Commercial Sheet Metal Service Installer, Field Installer, HVAC Sheet Metal Installer (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Installer), HVAC Sheet Metal Specialist (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Sheet Metal Specialist), Sheet Metal Fabricator, Sheet Metal Installer.
How much do Sheet Metal Workers make?
10th percentile$38,630
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$47,830
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$61,800
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$81,610
Upper quartile
90th percentile$105,650
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $61,800 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $29.71/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $67,850 |
| People employed | 119,770 |
Versus all US occupations
At $61,800, Sheet Metal Workers earn 21% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $10,820 a year.
Versus construction and extraction occupations
Inside the Construction and Extraction group, where the middle occupation pays $57,430, this is 8% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $105,650 or more while the bottom 10% earn $38,630, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 44% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($98,550), but once local prices are taken into account Alaska leads at $92,420 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Sheet Metal Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $98,550 | $92,092 | 3,440 |
| Hawaii | $96,350 | $87,630 | 490 |
| Alaska | $94,600 | $92,420 | 240 |
| New Jersey | $92,840 | $85,327 | 2,790 |
| Illinois | $86,630 | $86,666 | 3,260 |
| Massachusetts | $82,100 | $77,631 | 2,890 |
| Connecticut | $78,750 | $76,006 | 1,480 |
| Wisconsin | $77,760 | $82,640 | 3,180 |
| California | $76,590 | $69,174 | 8,390 |
| Ohio | $74,790 | $80,615 | 4,180 |
Is Sheet Metal Worker a growing career?
Sheet Metal Workers2.4%
All US occupations3.1%
+2.4% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Sheet Metal Workers to change 2.4% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 3,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 10,600 openings are projected each year, 8.3% of the 127,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Despite limited employment growth, about 10,600 openings for sheet metal workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
There will be continuing need to install and maintain energy-efficient HVAC systems in new and existing buildings over the projections decade. However, the use of prefabricated duct systems will limit the need for sheet metal workers on residential construction sites. Some sheet metal fabrication equipment is automated, further reducing the need for workers outside of construction.
How to become a Sheet Metal Worker
Sheet metal workers who work in construction typically learn their trade through an apprenticeship. Those who work in manufacturing often learn on the job or at a technical school.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Apprenticeship |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as sheet metal workers.
- High School Diploma49.0%
- Post-Secondary Certificate43.8%
- Less than a High School Diploma7.2%
What does a Sheet Metal Worker do?
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. Includes sheet metal duct installers who install prefabricated sheet metal ducts used for heating, air conditioning, or other purposes.
Sheet metal workers fabricate or install products that are made from thin metal sheets, such as ducts used in heating and air conditioning systems.
Day-to-day tasks
- Select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications.
- Determine project requirements, such as scope, assembly sequences, or required methods or materials, using blueprints, drawings, or written or verbal instructions.
- 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.
- Maintain equipment, making repairs or modifications when necessary.
- Hire, train, or supervise new employees or apprentices.
- Fabricate or alter parts at construction sites, using shears, hammers, punches, or drills.
- Lay out, measure, and mark dimensions and reference lines on material, such as roofing panels, using calculators, scribes, dividers, squares, or rulers.
- Install assemblies, such as flashing, pipes, tubes, heating and air conditioning ducts, furnace casings, rain gutters, or downspouts in supportive frameworks.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where sheet metal workers work
| Specialty trade contractors | 54% |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 24% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 5% |
| Construction of buildings | 3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Active Listening3.0/5
- Speaking3.0/5
- Mathematics3.0/5
- Active Learning2.9/5
- Learning Strategies2.5/5
Transferable skills
- Coordination3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Instructing2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.9/5
- Operations Monitoring2.9/5
- Operation and Control2.9/5
- Equipment Maintenance2.9/5
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Sheet Metal Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative2.1
Artistic1.6
Social1.0
Enterprising1.0
Conventionalprimary3.6
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Sheet Metal Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Sheet Metal Workers make?
Sheet Metal Workers earn a median of $61,800 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 21% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $29.71/hr. The middle half earn between $47,830 and $81,610. The top 10% earn $105,650 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Sheet Metal Worker?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Sheet Metal Workers. BLS also lists apprenticeship as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 49.0% hold high school diploma.
Is Sheet Metal Worker a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.4% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 10,600 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Sheet Metal Worker do?
Sheet metal workers fabricate or install products that are made from thin metal sheets, such as ducts used in heating and air conditioning systems. A core O*NET task: select gauges or types of sheet metal or nonmetallic material, according to product specifications. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Sheet Metal Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Sheet Metal Workers are Washington ($98,550), Hawaii ($96,350), Alaska ($94,600) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alaska moves to the top at $92,420.
What personality type suits a Sheet Metal Worker?
O*NET scores Sheet Metal Workers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.