The median annual wage of sheet metal workers was $41,710 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $24,990, and the top 10 percent earned more than $73,980.
The starting pay for apprentices usually is between 30 percent and 50 percent of what fully trained sheet metal workers make. As they gain more skill, their pay increases.
Nearly all sheet metal workers are employed full time. Those who work in manufacturing are more likely to participate in profit sharing, work overtime, and receive output incentives to supplement their basic wages.
About 36 percent of sheet metal workers are members of a union. Although there is no single union, the largest organizer for sheet metal workers is the Sheet Metal Workers International Association.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition