A boilermaker in California earns a median of $56.80 an hour. A boilermaker in Maryland earns a median of $20.31. That gap of $36.49 an hour, or $75,900 a year, is the distance between the top and bottom of the federal wage survey for this trade, and it puts the highest state 180% above the lowest. Nationally the median is $36.74 an hour, or $76,410 a year.
Those figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), SOC 47-2011, with a May 2025 reference period. It is the newest release available. The next one, covering May 2026, is due in spring 2027.
One caution belongs at the top. This is a small trade. BLS counts 10,190 wage and salary boilermaker jobs in the whole country, and it publishes a state median for only 37 states. The other 14 jurisdictions are withheld. A table built on a workforce this small needs to be read with care.
The National Picture: $36.74 an Hour at the Median
The median wage is $36.74 an hour and the mean is $38.50. On an annual basis that is a median of $76,410 and a mean of $80,090.
The full national distribution for SOC 47-2011:
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $24.28 | $50,490 |
| 25th | $31.13 | $64,760 |
| 50th (median) | $36.74 | $76,410 |
| 75th | $45.88 | $95,430 |
| 90th | $53.06 | $110,370 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national estimates, SOC 47-2011.
The 90th percentile, $53.06, is 2.2x the 10th percentile, $24.28. A quarter of boilermakers earn less than $31.13 an hour. At the upper end, one in ten earns more than $53.06, or $110,370 a year.
The mean sits $1.76 an hour above the median. A small group of higher earners lifts the average, but not by much.
The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook describes the work plainly: "Boilermakers install and maintain boiler systems." It also notes that boilermakers "do physically demanding work in cramped spaces inside boilers, vats, or tanks" and that "They may travel to worksites and be away from home for extended periods." That last point matters for reading wage data, because travel pay and per diem are not in these numbers.
Full State Table
States are ranked by median, highest to lowest. Where employment reads n/a, BLS published a wage but not a job count.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $56.80 | $118,150 | 720 |
| 2 | Mississippi | $50.92 | $105,910 | 280 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $48.66 | $101,200 | 300 |
| 4 | Illinois | $47.95 | $99,730 | 110 |
| 5 | Michigan | $47.22 | $98,220 | n/a |
| 6 | Wisconsin | $46.92 | $97,590 | 170 |
| 7 | Minnesota | $46.25 | $96,190 | 140 |
| 8 | Washington | $45.77 | $95,200 | 190 |
| 9 | Indiana | $43.95 | $91,410 | 170 |
| 10 | Colorado | $42.96 | $89,350 | 40 |
| 11 | Idaho | $42.50 | $88,400 | 70 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $41.75 | $86,850 | 260 |
| 13 | Ohio | $41.13 | $85,550 | 300 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $41.09 | $85,470 | 60 |
| 15 | New York | $40.76 | $84,770 | 410 |
| 16 | Iowa | $39.65 | $82,470 | 50 |
| 17 | New Jersey | $39.62 | $82,410 | 280 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $38.64 | $80,360 | 50 |
| 19 | Missouri | $37.76 | $78,550 | 100 |
| 20 | Arizona | $37.47 | $77,940 | 170 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $37.45 | $77,900 | 30 |
| 22 | Oklahoma | $37.38 | $77,750 | n/a |
| 23 | Arkansas | $36.93 | $76,810 | 50 |
| 24 | Texas | $36.42 | $75,750 | 2,340 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $35.98 | $74,840 | n/a |
| 26 | Kentucky | $35.97 | $74,810 | 150 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $35.57 | $73,980 | 1,220 |
| 28 | Kansas | $34.70 | $72,170 | 70 |
| 29 | Florida | $33.55 | $69,790 | 400 |
| 30 | Virginia | $32.47 | $67,540 | 150 |
| 31 | Georgia | $30.86 | $64,200 | n/a |
| 32 | West Virginia | $30.70 | $63,850 | 30 |
| 33 | Alabama | $30.56 | $63,570 | 180 |
| 34 | Nevada | $29.53 | $61,430 | 70 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $24.91 | $51,810 | 180 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $23.90 | $49,720 | 150 |
| 37 | Maryland | $20.31 | $42,250 | 30 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates, SOC 47-2011.
BLS does not publish a boilermaker median for Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah or Vermont. The agency withholds estimates when the sample is too thin to meet its quality standards or when publishing could reveal an individual employer's data. A blank does not mean no boilermakers work there. It means the survey cannot support a reliable number.
Of the 37 states in the table, 23 sit above the national median of $36.74 and 14 sit below it.
Highest and Lowest Paying States
California leads at $56.80 an hour, or $118,150 a year. That is $20.06 above the national median, and California's median is higher than the national 90th percentile of $53.06.
Mississippi is second at $50.92 ($105,910 a year) and New Mexico is third at $48.66 ($101,200 a year). Neither is a high cost-of-living state, which is a reminder that boilermaker pay tends to follow heavy industrial and utility work more than the general cost of living.
The rest of the top 10 is concentrated in the industrial Midwest: Illinois at $47.95, Michigan at $47.22, Wisconsin at $46.92, Minnesota at $46.25 and Indiana at $43.95. Washington at $45.77 and Colorado at $42.96 complete the list. Strong union presence in heavy industrial and power work is the usual explanation offered for the Midwest cluster, though OEWS does not measure union status.
At the other end, Maryland is lowest at $20.31 an hour ($42,250 a year), which is $16.43 below the national median and below the national 10th percentile of $24.28. North Carolina follows at $23.90 and Tennessee at $24.91. The rest of the bottom 10, moving up: Nevada $29.53, Alabama $30.56, West Virginia $30.70, Georgia $30.86, Virginia $32.47, Florida $33.55 and Kansas $34.70.
Read the extremes with caution. Maryland's figure rests on an estimated 30 jobs. Colorado's top-10 median rests on 40. When a state estimate is built from a handful of employers, one large shop opening, closing or changing its mix of apprentices and journey-level workers can move the median by several dollars from one release to the next. In the table, 12 states report 100 or fewer boilermaker jobs, and 4 more have no published employment figure at all.
Where the Jobs Are
Boilermaker employment is heavily concentrated. Texas has 2,340 jobs, by far the most of any state, at a median of $36.42. Louisiana is second with 1,220 jobs at $35.57. Together those two Gulf Coast states account for 3,560 jobs, about 35% of the national total.
California is third with 720 jobs at $56.80, followed by New York with 410 jobs at $40.76 and Florida with 400 jobs at $33.55. The top 5 states by employment hold 5,090 of the 10,190 national jobs, which is 50%.
The next tier is much smaller: New Mexico and Ohio with 300 jobs each, and Mississippi with 280.
The two largest markets pay slightly under the national median. Texas is $0.32 below it and Louisiana is below it as well. The states with the most jobs are not the states with the highest hourly medians. Refining, petrochemical and power work along the Gulf Coast supports a deep labor pool, and a deep pool tends to hold the median near the middle.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook projects a shrinking occupation: "Employment of boilermakers is projected to decline 2 percent from 2025 to 2035." It adds, "Despite declining employment, about 700 openings for boilermakers are projected each year, on average, over the decade." Those openings come from replacing people who leave the trade, not from growth.
How Workers and Contractors Should Use These Numbers
For workers, the table is a reference point, not an offer. If you are weighing a move, compare the median in your state with the median where the work is, then ask the employer or the local hall for the actual wage sheet, the fringe package and the travel terms. The table says nothing about housing costs, how steady the work is or how long outages last.
The Handbook says, "Boilermakers typically learn their trade through an apprenticeship program," and that "Apprenticeship programs typically last 4 years." OEWS medians blend apprentices and journey-level workers together, so a state with many apprentices on the payroll will show a lower median than its journey-level rate.
For contractors, the state median is a floor check on your base wage, not a bid rate. OEWS wages exclude benefits, payroll taxes and insurance, so the cost of an hour is higher than any figure in the table. Run your base rate through the labor burden calculator to get a loaded cost before you price a job.
Boilermaker work overlaps with other pressure and structural trades, and crews are often built from several of them. For comparison, see our tables for pipefitter wages by state, welder wages in construction and ironworker wages by state.
What the Data Does Not Show
OEWS is a survey of employers. It has limits that matter more for this trade than for most.
- It covers wage and salary workers only. Self-employed boilermakers are not counted.
- It reports straight-time gross pay. Overtime premiums are excluded, and so are benefits and per diem. Outage and shutdown work often runs long shifts with gaps between jobs, so real annual earnings can differ a good deal from the annual figures here.
- It reports medians, not union scale. The number for a state is the middle of everyone surveyed, union and non-union, apprentice and journey-level. It is not a collective bargaining rate and it is not a prevailing wage determination.
- It reflects May 2025. Wages negotiated or raised since then are not in it. The May 2026 data is due in spring 2027.
- It is thin at the state level. With 10,190 jobs spread nationally and half of them in 5 states, many state medians rest on small samples and can swing between releases. The 14 withheld states are the clearest sign of that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do boilermakers make an hour?
The national median is $36.74 an hour, or $76,410 a year, in the BLS May 2025 survey. The middle half of the trade earns between $31.13 and $45.88 an hour.
Which state pays boilermakers the most?
California has the highest published median at $56.80 an hour, or $118,150 a year. Mississippi is second at $50.92 and New Mexico is third at $48.66.
Why is my state missing from the table?
BLS does not publish a boilermaker median for the 14 jurisdictions listed under the state table. The occupation is small, and where a state's sample is too thin or publishing would risk identifying an employer, the agency withholds the estimate. For those states, a local wage sheet or a prevailing wage determination is a better source than any national figure.
Which states have the most boilermaker jobs?
Texas has 2,340 jobs and Louisiana has 1,220. California has 720, New York 410 and Florida 400. Those 5 states hold 5,090 of the 10,190 jobs BLS counts nationally, which is 50%.
Are these figures union scale?
No. OEWS medians combine union and non-union workers, and apprentices and journey-level workers, into one number per state. Union scale is set by each local's agreement. Ask the local for its current wage sheet if you need the contract rate.
Your Action Item for This Week
Find your state in the table and note both the median and the employment count. If the count is 100 or fewer, treat the median as a rough indicator and check it against a second source, such as a prevailing wage determination for your county.
If you are a worker comparing offers, ask for the base rate, the fringe package and the travel or per diem terms in writing. The table covers only the first of those.
If you are a contractor, compare your journey-level base wage with your state median and the national 75th percentile of $45.88, then run the rate through the labor burden calculator so your bid reflects the full cost of the hour.
Sources & Data Cited
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national and state estimates, SOC 47-2011 (Boilermakers), retrieved from the BLS public API November 12, 2026: www.bls.gov/oes/
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Boilermakers: www.bls.gov/ooh/construction-and-extraction/boilermakers.htm
