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.
National median · BLS
$58,970
▼ -0.52%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$66,060
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
13,800
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.
Pay range for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$43,310
25th
$47,990
Median (50th)
$58,970
75th
$77,320
90th — top pay
$104,540
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
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Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers
BLS projects employment of reinforcing iron and rebar workers to decline 5.3% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 1,000 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
16,600 → 15,700
-900 jobs
Projected change
-5.3%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,000
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Apprenticeship
Self-employed
17.6% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
Profile
Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers salaries by metro area
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Metro area
Median
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Cost-adjusted
Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Coordination3.1
Critical Thinking3.0
Judgment and Decision Making2.9
Monitoring2.9
Operation and Control2.9
Complex Problem Solving2.8
Operations Monitoring2.8
Time Management2.8
Active Listening2.6
Quality Control Analysis2.6
Top knowledge areas
Building and Construction4.7
Mathematics3.9
Design3.5
Public Safety and Security3.4
Engineering and Technology3.4
Production and Processing3.4
English Language3.3
Administration and Management3.3
Software and technology used
Application Software SHEARApplied Systems Associates aSa RebarOTP ArmaCADRebarWin
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What reinforcing iron and rebar workers do
Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
Determine quantities, sizes, shapes, and locations of reinforcing rods from blueprints, sketches, or oral instructions.
Space and fasten together rods in forms according to blueprints, using wire and pliers.
Use forklifts or cranes to move construction material, such as rebar.
Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
Unload rebar from trucks.
Place blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors.
Cut and fit wire mesh or fabric, using hooked rods, and position fabric or mesh in concrete to reinforce concrete.
Also called
Iron InstallerIron WorkerIronworkerRodbusterField IronworkerIronworker JourneymanIronworker LaborerReinforced IronworkerRod BusterSteel Tier
More job titles for this occupation (16)
Concrete BusterConcrete Rod BusterConcrete WorkerJourneyman IronworkerPost Tensioning IronworkerRebar BenderRebar FabricatorRebar Production FabricatorRebar RodbusterRebar TierRebar WorkerReinforcing Iron WorkerReinforcing Metal WorkerReinforcing Rod LayerReinforcing Steel WorkerSteel Rod Buster
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $58,970.
