Best states for an iron worker

Q: What is the best state for iron workers?

The best state to be an iron worker is West Virginia based on iron worker salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for iron workers?

The highest paying state for iron workers is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for iron workers?

The worst state for iron workers is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for iron workers? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for iron worker jobs.Pay, benefits, and opportunities vary greatly by state, and it's no different for iron workers. We found that West Virginia is the best state in the nation for iron workers, and people in Anchorage earn the most in the field.

In order to get you the best states for iron workers, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.We found that West Virginia is the best state for iron worker jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.

10 best states for iron workers in 2026

1. West Virginia
Total iron worker jobs: 286
Average annual salary: $44,838
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
1.83
Iron worker jobs in West Virginia
2. Utah
Total iron worker jobs: 526
Average annual salary: $45,888
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
1.61
Iron worker jobs in Utah
3. South Dakota
Total iron worker jobs: 198
Average annual salary: $44,949
Lowest 10 percent earn: $34,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Location Quotient:
1.81
Iron worker jobs in South Dakota
4. Hawaii
Total iron worker jobs: 155
Average annual salary: $50,989
Lowest 10 percent earn: $44,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
1.81
Iron worker jobs in Hawaii
5. North Dakota
Total iron worker jobs: 49
Average annual salary: $48,090
Lowest 10 percent earn: $38,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $60,000
Location Quotient:
0.52
Iron worker jobs in North Dakota
6. Iowa
Total iron worker jobs: 151
Average annual salary: $47,199
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Location Quotient:
0.41
Iron worker jobs in Iowa
7. Alaska
Total iron worker jobs: 60
Average annual salary: $51,283
Lowest 10 percent earn: $45,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
0.7
Iron worker jobs in Alaska
8. California
Total iron worker jobs: 4,250
Average annual salary: $48,679
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Location Quotient:
1.42
Iron worker jobs in California
9. Montana
Total iron worker jobs: 96
Average annual salary: $45,972
Lowest 10 percent earn: $36,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $58,000
Location Quotient:
0.81
Iron worker jobs in Montana
10. Wisconsin
Total iron worker jobs: 214
Average annual salary: $46,033
Lowest 10 percent earn: $35,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Location Quotient:
0.38
Iron worker jobs in Wisconsin

Iron worker jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an iron worker

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an iron worker

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	West Virginia	$44,838	$34,000	1,815,857	286
2	Utah	$45,888	$35,000	3,101,833	526
3	South Dakota	$44,949	$34,000	869,666	198
4	Hawaii	$50,989	$44,000	1,427,538	155
5	North Dakota	$48,090	$38,000	755,393	49
6	Iowa	$47,199	$36,000	3,145,711	151
7	Alaska	$51,283	$45,000	739,795	60
8	California	$48,679	$36,000	39,536,653	4,250
9	Montana	$45,972	$36,000	1,050,493	96
10	Wisconsin	$46,033	$35,000	5,795,483	214
11	Louisiana	$41,556	$31,000	4,684,333	523
12	New York	$46,158	$35,000	19,849,399	1,678
13	South Carolina	$41,550	$32,000	5,024,369	699
14	Kansas	$45,055	$34,000	2,913,123	112
15	Illinois	$47,753	$36,000	12,802,023	247
16	Washington	$42,601	$33,000	7,405,743	1,175
17	Idaho	$41,306	$31,000	1,716,943	251
18	Indiana	$44,352	$34,000	6,666,818	213
19	Mississippi	$43,250	$33,000	2,984,100	78
20	Oregon	$40,324	$31,000	4,142,776	672
21	Oklahoma	$39,555	$30,000	3,930,864	398
22	Alabama	$37,663	$29,000	4,874,747	655
23	Michigan	$39,538	$30,000	9,962,311	262
24	Nevada	$39,672	$29,000	2,998,039	77
25	Vermont	$37,194	$30,000	623,657	149
26	Connecticut	$38,384	$29,000	3,588,184	517
27	Wyoming	$36,596	$28,000	579,315	100
28	Ohio	$38,738	$29,000	11,658,609	326
29	New Jersey	$42,583	$32,000	9,005,644	172
30	Maine	$38,466	$31,000	1,335,907	80
31	Pennsylvania	$38,290	$29,000	12,805,537	341
32	Delaware	$38,193	$29,000	961,939	149
33	Arizona	$39,249	$29,000	7,016,270	201
34	Tennessee	$35,593	$27,000	6,715,984	924
35	Georgia	$37,342	$28,000	10,429,379	1,550
36	Virginia	$37,685	$28,000	8,470,020	1,447
37	District of Columbia	$38,041	$29,000	693,972	150
38	New Hampshire	$37,420	$30,000	1,342,795	65
39	Rhode Island	$38,161	$29,000	1,059,639	33
40	Kentucky	$37,051	$28,000	4,454,189	129
41	Texas	$36,063	$27,000	28,304,596	2,729
42	Maryland	$38,122	$29,000	6,052,177	221
43	Minnesota	$38,118	$29,000	5,576,606	151
44	North Carolina	$34,988	$27,000	10,273,419	1,408
45	Nebraska	$32,960	$25,000	1,920,076	368
46	Massachusetts	$37,874	$30,000	6,859,819	214
47	New Mexico	$34,792	$26,000	2,088,070	283
48	Florida	$31,241	$24,000	20,984,400	2,708
49	Colorado	$32,994	$25,000	5,607,154	891
50	Missouri	$32,093	$24,000	6,113,532	826
51	Arkansas	$33,250	$25,000	3,004,279	71

Highest paying states for iron workers

Rank	State	Avg. Iron Worker Salary
1	West Virginia	$44,838
2	Utah	$45,888
3	South Dakota	$44,949
4	Hawaii	$50,989
5	North Dakota	$48,090
6	Iowa	$47,199
7	Alaska	$51,283
8	California	$48,679
9	Montana	$45,972
10	Wisconsin	$46,033
11	Louisiana	$41,556
12	New York	$46,158
13	South Carolina	$41,550
14	Kansas	$45,055
15	Illinois	$47,753
16	Washington	$42,601
17	Idaho	$41,306
18	Indiana	$44,352
19	Mississippi	$43,250
20	Oregon	$40,324
21	Oklahoma	$39,555
22	Alabama	$37,663
23	Michigan	$39,538
24	Nevada	$39,672
25	Vermont	$37,194
26	Connecticut	$38,384
27	Wyoming	$36,596
28	Ohio	$38,738
29	New Jersey	$42,583
30	Maine	$38,466
31	Pennsylvania	$38,290
32	Delaware	$38,193
33	Arizona	$39,249
34	Tennessee	$35,593
35	Georgia	$37,342
36	Virginia	$37,685
37	District of Columbia	$38,041
38	New Hampshire	$37,420
39	Rhode Island	$38,161
40	Kentucky	$37,051
41	Texas	$36,063
42	Maryland	$38,122
43	Minnesota	$38,118
44	North Carolina	$34,988
45	Nebraska	$32,960
46	Massachusetts	$37,874
47	New Mexico	$34,792
48	Florida	$31,241
49	Colorado	$32,994
50	Missouri	$32,093
51	Arkansas	$33,250

Iron worker best states FAQs

What is the best state for iron workers?

What is the highest paying state for iron workers?

What is the worst state for iron workers?

Have more questions? See all answers to common construction and extraction questions.

Search for iron worker jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse construction and extraction jobs

Total iron worker jobs:	286
Average annual salary:	$44,838
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$34,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$58,000
Location Quotient:	1.83

Best states for an iron worker

10 best states for iron workers in 2026

1. West Virginia

2. Utah

3. South Dakota

4. Hawaii

5. North Dakota

6. Iowa

7. Alaska

8. California

9. Montana

10. Wisconsin