Construction and Extraction Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 47-2171

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

The published band from $43,310 to $104,540 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Roof Bolters, Mining.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers: Roof Bolters, Mining ($79K) , Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators ($70K) , Construction and Building Inspectors ($75K) , Pile Driver Operators ($73K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 47-2171 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions
  2. 2. Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers
  3. 3. Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools
  4. 4. Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches
  5. 5. Place blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors
  6. 6. Cut and fit wire mesh or fabric, using hooked rods, and position fabric or mesh in concrete to reinforce concrete
  7. 7. Bend steel rods with hand tools or rod-bending machines and weld them with arc-welding equipment

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers: O*NET ranks Coordination first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 47-2171 - lead skill Coordination at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Building and Construction. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Coordination 3.1
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.0
  3. 3. Monitoring 2.9
  4. 4. Operation and Control 2.9
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 2.9
  6. 6. Complex Problem Solving 2.8
  7. 7. Operations Monitoring 2.8
  8. 8. Time Management 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Building and Construction 4.6
  2. 2. Mathematics 3.4
  3. 3. Administration and Management 3.4
  4. 4. Design 3.3
  5. 5. English Language 3.3
  6. 6. Engineering and Technology 3.0
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$43,310 to $104,540
median $58,970 · ~2.4× spread
$59K
National median
↑ +5%
Growth 2024-2034
1,500
Annual openings
13,800
Estimated US jobs
Roof Bolters, Mining
Highest-pay peer · $79K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

1. Washington $108,970
2. Wisconsin $121,620
3. New York $98,040
4. Louisiana $70,700
5. New Jersey $116,110
6. Pennsylvania $74,670
7. Illinois $105,580
8. Nevada $102,130
9. Michigan $91,220
10. Oregon $93,490

Other Construction and Extraction Occupations titles

  1. 1. Construction and Building Inspectors $74,690
  2. 2. Pile Driver Operators $73,300
  3. 3. Roof Bolters, Mining $78,540
  4. 4. Boilermakers $76,410
  5. 5. Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators $70,070
  6. 6. Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $74,500

The OEWS band for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers runs from $43,310 (10th) to $104,540 (90th), about 2.4× wide, with median $58,970. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +5% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 1,500 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $108,970. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Roof Bolters, Mining at $78,540. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers pay-rank #23 in Construction and Extraction Occupations

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers sits at pay-rank #23 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 47-2171

Washington · top state for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

$109K published median

Wisconsin · #2 state pay

$122K · behind Washington

Roof Bolters, Mining

Highest-pay peer vs Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers · $79K

Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators

Lower-pay peer beside Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers · $70K

Compare Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers mid-table among Construction and Extraction Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #23 of 60 detailed Construction and Extraction Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers ($59K), Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas ($59K), Insulation Workers, Mechanical ($58K), Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas ($58K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do reinforcing iron and rebar workers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers. Leading ones include: Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions; Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers; Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools; Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for reinforcing iron and rebar workers? ▼
For SOC 47-2171, O*NET importance scores lead with Coordination (3.1), Critical Thinking (3.0), Monitoring (2.9), Operation and Control (2.9). Knowledge areas emphasize Building and Construction, Mathematics, Administration and Management. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $43,310 and the 90th at $104,540 for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers (2.4× spread). The national median is $58,970. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers is +5%. Projected annual openings: about 1,500. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers? ▼
Washington ($108,970), Wisconsin ($121,620), New York ($98,040) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 47-2171. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics