← All careers

Skilled Trades

Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

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.

Median salary (BLS)

$58,970

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$43k – $105k

Job outlook

+5% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree required

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

    Entry / Junior

    $43,310

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

    Established

    $58,970

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers

    Senior

    $81,755

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.
  • •Position and secure steel bars, rods, cables, or mesh in concrete forms, using fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, or hand tools.
  • •Cut rods to required lengths, using metal shears, hacksaws, bar cutters, or acetylene torches.
  • •Place blocks under rebar to hold the bars off the deck when reinforcing floors.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.