Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-2171 · O*NET 47-2171.00
Position and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms in order to reinforce concrete. Use a variety of fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, and hand tools. Includes rod busters.
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers fall under the Construction and Extraction category in the U.S. occupational classification. Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers earn a median salary of $59,280 per year, ranking in the top 50% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +4.6% job growth through 2034, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Entry into this field typically requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What do reinforcing iron and rebar workers earn?
The median annual wage for reinforcing iron and rebar workers is $59,280. That puts reinforcing iron and rebar workers at #405 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $39,470 |
| 25th percentile | $47,300 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $59,280 |
| 75th percentile | $74,190 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $95,530 |
| Median hourly wage | $28.50/hr |
Is reinforcing iron and rebar workers a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for reinforcing iron and rebar workers is +4.6%, projected to grow at roughly the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 19K positions in 2024 to 20K in 2034, a net change of 1K. Average growth signals a healthy, resilient occupation that mirrors broader U.S. employment trends. Job availability tends to track regional economic conditions.
What do reinforcing iron and rebar workers do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working reinforcing iron and rebar workers, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
- 2.Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
- 3.Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions.
- 4.Cut and fit wire mesh or fabric, using hooked rods, and position fabric or mesh in concrete to reinforce concrete.
- 5.Bend steel rods with hand tools or rod-bending machines and weld them with arc-welding equipment.
- 6.Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers.
- 7.Place blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors.
Top skills for reinforcing iron and rebar workers
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become reinforcing iron and rebar worker?
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers typically enter the field through a formal apprenticeship, technical certification, or vocational training program — a strong fit for teens who prefer hands-on learning over traditional college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about reinforcing iron and rebar workers
What is the median salary for reinforcing iron and rebar workers?
The median annual salary for reinforcing iron and rebar workers is $59,280 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is reinforcing iron and rebar workers a growing career?
BLS projects +4.6% growth for reinforcing iron and rebar workers from 2024 through 2034, which is average growth projected to grow at roughly the US average.
What education does my child need to become reinforcing iron and rebar worker?
The typical entry path requires an apprenticeship, technical certification, or postsecondary training, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to reinforcing iron and rebar workers?
Related occupations within the Construction and Extraction category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.