Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2012

47-2211 Sheet Metal Workers

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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
133,420 1.9 % $22.54 $46,870 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.17 $15.56 $20.81 $27.87 $35.93
Annual Wage (2) $25,310 $32,370 $43,290 $57,970 $74,740

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors 59,030 3.55 $24.27 $50,480
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 18,780 5.53 $19.76 $41,100
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 14,440 2.10 $21.19 $44,080
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 6,870 0.34 $25.72 $53,500
Building Finishing Contractors 3,720 0.59 $23.35 $48,560

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing 18,780 5.53 $19.76 $41,100
Building Equipment Contractors 59,030 3.55 $24.27 $50,480
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 14,440 2.10 $21.19 $44,080
Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing 2,290 1.90 $19.79 $41,170
Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing 2,260 1.79 $20.64 $42,930

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 50 (7) $34.49 $71,740
Motor Vehicle Manufacturing 60 0.03 $31.30 $65,110
Local Government (OES Designation) 320 0.01 $30.78 $64,030
Elementary and Secondary Schools 90 (7) $27.71 $57,630
Scientific Research and Development Services 80 0.01 $27.43 $57,050

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 12,330 1.17 1.14 $17.67 $36,750
California 12,190 0.85 0.83 $27.62 $57,450
Florida 6,370 0.88 0.86 $17.26 $35,900
New York 5,460 0.64 0.62 $26.56 $55,250
Georgia 5,110 1.34 1.31 $20.46 $42,550




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Oklahoma 3,240 2.12 2.07 $22.31 $46,410
Kansas 2,540 1.92 1.88 $20.82 $43,300
Oregon 3,020 1.88 1.83 $23.85 $49,610
Mississippi 2,020 1.87 1.83 $17.51 $36,420
Maine 1,060 1.83 1.79 $19.71 $41,000




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hawaii 640 1.09 1.06 $30.96 $64,400
Minnesota 2,330 0.88 0.86 $30.84 $64,150
Alaska 230 0.72 0.70 $29.49 $61,340
New Jersey 1,990 0.52 0.51 $28.02 $58,290
California 12,190 0.85 0.83 $27.62 $57,450





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 3,760 1.42 1.39 $17.70 $36,810
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 2,840 1.35 1.32 $17.23 $35,830
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 2,540 0.49 0.48 $29.07 $60,470
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 2,530 0.70 0.68 $28.96 $60,240
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 2,350 0.61 0.59 $26.38 $54,880
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 2,330 2.32 2.27 $24.51 $50,980
Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ 2,300 1.33 1.30 $18.91 $39,340
Oklahoma City, OK 2,220 3.80 3.71 $24.37 $50,690
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 2,040 0.87 0.85 $24.19 $50,300
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 1,750 1.39 1.35 $27.36 $56,900




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Warner Robins, GA 1,500 27.07 26.43 $24.17 $50,280
Peoria, IL 940 5.24 5.12 $21.04 $43,770
Jonesboro, AR 250 5.10 4.98 $15.03 $31,270
Evansville, IN-KY 720 4.20 4.10 $25.36 $52,740
Oklahoma City, OK 2,220 3.80 3.71 $24.37 $50,690
Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, WV-OH 250 3.66 3.57 $24.45 $50,860
Corpus Christi, TX 650 3.61 3.52 $25.21 $52,440
Ogden-Clearfield, UT 690 3.51 3.43 $24.72 $51,410
Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA 320 3.26 3.19 $25.96 $54,000
Cleveland, TN 110 3.09 3.02 $17.30 $35,980