sheet metal worker salary in Winston-Salem, NC
Sheet Metal Workers in Winston-Salem earn a median $22.64 per hour and $47,080 per year, according to BLS OEWS May 2025. Compare local wage ranges, pay history, and job offers below.
$22.64/hr
Median hourly pay
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Data updated October 2026
sheet metal worker hourly wage range in Winston-Salem
| Percentile | Hourly pay |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $17.92/hr |
| 25th percentile | $18.89/hr |
| Median | $22.64/hr |
| 75th percentile | $27.46/hr |
| 90th percentile | $31.80/hr |
The median is the middle wage. Half earn less. Half earn more.
Published local wage range
Median marker. Shaded band: middle 50% of wages.
Enter your hourly pay to compare it with the published wage bands.
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Data updated October 2026
$24.20/hr
Mean hourly pay
$50,340
Mean annual pay
170
Jobs in Winston-Salem
Sheet Metal Workers pay trend in Winston-Salem, 2015 to 2025
Published median hourly pay from 2015 to 2025.
+56.9% since May 2015
Dashed markers are years BLS didn’t publish this combination. Shown as gaps, never interpolated.
Take-home pay and living costs
Take-home pay for Sheet Metal Workers in Winston-Salem
The BLS OEWS May 2025 median, $22.64 per hour, becomes a paycheck. Estimated after federal income tax, state income tax, and FICA.
Gross annual pay · $22.64/hr × 2,080 hrs
$47,091
- Federal income tax (est.)
- −$3,471
- North Carolina income tax (est.)
- −$1,370
- FICA (Social Security + Medicare) (est.)
- −$3,602
Net annual take-home (est.)
$38,648
$1,486 per paycheck (biweekly, est.)
Effective tax rate 17.9%
Estimate for a single filer using the 2026 standard deduction: federal and North Carolina income tax computed from actual 2026 rates and brackets, plus FICA. Excludes city wage taxes (such as New York City’s and Philadelphia’s), pre-tax deductions like 401(k) and health premiums, and tax credits. Actual take-home pay varies with filing status, deductions, and hours worked.
Adjusted pay
Cost-of-living adjusted pay
$24.60/hr
Published median$22.64/hr
Adjusted for living costs$24.60/hr
The BLS OEWS May 2025 median for sheet metal workers in Winston-Salem is $22.64/hr. The BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 index for the Winston-Salem area is 92.0 (US average = 100). Divided, the pay equals $24.60/hr. That is what the pay buys against the national average cost level.
In May 2026 dollars (BLS CPI-U), the 2015 median was $20.34/hr; the 2025 median is $23.60/hr (up 16.0% after inflation).
See all 100 cities ranked by adjusted pay
BLS OEWS May 2025, adjusted with BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Official BLS figures are unchanged above.
Rent vs pay for sheet metal workers in Winston-Salem
The BLS OEWS May 2025 median, $22.64/hr, must cover the median rent. One month of median gross rent takes 49 hours of work at that wage. Rent is 34.2% of estimated take-home pay: over the 30% affordability line.
Hours of work to cover one month of median rent
49 hrs
$1,102/mo rent ÷ $22.64/hr median wage
Rent vs estimated monthly take-home pay
Rent is 34.2% of take-home pay. The standard affordability line is 30% (dashed).
Median rent trend, 2021-2024
Median gross rent rose from $835/mo in 2021 to $1,102/mo in 2024: +32.0%. Census ACS 1-year, Table B25064.
Rent burden by city, ranked
- 01Buffalo, NY23.6%$1,114/mo
- 02Kansas City, MO24.6%$1,315/mo
- 03Chicago, IL24.7%$1,469/mo
- 04Detroit, MI25.5%$1,248/mo
- 05St. Louis, MO26.1%$1,154/mo
- 06Syracuse, NY26.4%$1,114/mo
- 07Spokane, WA27.0%$1,405/mo
- 08Pittsburgh, PA27.6%$1,083/mo
- 09Rochester, NY27.8%$1,172/mo
- 10Seattle, WA28.6%$2,050/mo
- 11Bakersfield, CA30.4%$1,479/mo
- 12Minneapolis, MN30.5%$1,444/mo
- 13Albany, NY30.6%$1,341/mo
- 14El Paso, TX30.6%$1,081/mo
- 15Philadelphia, PA31.0%$1,567/mo
- 16Greensboro, NC31.0%$1,171/mo
- 17Worcester, MA31.3%$1,563/mo
- 18Fresno, CA31.3%$1,513/mo
- 19Corpus Christi, TX31.4%$1,293/mo
- 20Allentown, PA33.2%$1,458/mo
- 21Winston-Salem, NC34.2%$1,102/mo
- 22San Antonio, TX35.3%$1,422/mo
- 23Lancaster, PA35.9%$1,449/mo
- 24Portland, OR36.3%$1,767/mo
- 25New York, NY37.5%$1,851/mo
- 26San Francisco, CA38.7%$2,435/mo
- 27Tucson, AZ38.9%$1,300/mo
- 28Sacramento, CA39.0%$1,904/mo
- 29Boston, MA39.9%$2,093/mo
- 30Houston, TX40.2%$1,469/mo
- 31Poughkeepsie, NY40.4%$1,688/mo
- 32Austin, TX40.5%$1,784/mo
- 33Baltimore, MD41.3%$1,633/mo
- 34San Jose, CA42.6%$2,827/mo
- 35Dallas-Fort Worth, TX43.5%$1,718/mo
- 36Lakeland, FL43.9%$1,484/mo
- 37Riverside, CA43.9%$2,006/mo
- 38Los Angeles, CA44.3%$2,114/mo
- 39San Diego, CA45.4%$2,336/mo
- 40Santa Rosa, CA45.9%$2,229/mo
- 41Charlotte, NC46.0%$1,594/mo
- 42Palm Bay, FL46.6%$1,681/mo
- 43Jacksonville, FL46.6%$1,625/mo
- 44Atlanta, GA46.7%$1,770/mo
- 45Denver, CO46.9%$1,943/mo
- 46Daytona Beach, FL48.5%$1,614/mo
- 47Raleigh, NC48.6%$1,674/mo
- 48Washington, DC50.0%$2,037/mo
- 49Tampa, FL50.8%$1,776/mo
- 50Phoenix, AZ51.6%$1,819/mo
- 51Cape Coral, FL51.9%$1,871/mo
- 52Colorado Springs, CO54.2%$1,761/mo
- 53Orlando, FL54.3%$1,877/mo
- 54Oxnard, CA55.0%$2,313/mo
- 55North Port, FL55.3%$1,920/mo
- 56Miami, FL57.2%$2,083/mo
Median gross rent from the Census ACS 2024 1-year, Table B25064; pay from BLS OEWS May 2025; rent burden uses estimated take-home pay (2026 federal and state income tax plus FICA on the median wage). Rents are medians across Winston-Salem for all renters, not trade-specific, and take-home is an estimate for a single filer. Actual affordability varies with household size, neighborhood, and hours worked.
Total compensation for Sheet Metal Workers in Winston-Salem
Employers pay about $10.19 more per hour in benefits on top of the $22.64 median wage (health insurance, retirement, paid leave, and legally required costs), based on the national BLS average for this occupation group.
Estimated total compensation
≈ $32.83/hr
wages $22.64 + benefits ≈ $10.19/hr
Where the benefits go (est. $/hr)
- Wages$22.64/hr
- Legally required≈ $2.97/hr
- Insurance≈ $2.67/hr
- Retirement & savings≈ $1.67/hr
- Paid leave≈ $1.48/hr
- Supplemental pay≈ $1.39/hr
Estimate from BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, private industry workers: the national average benefit load for construction, extraction, farming, fishing, and forestry occupations, applied to the median wage for this city. Actual benefits vary by employer, union status, and firm size.
Union vs nonunion pay for sheet metal workers
Full-time union members in this occupation group have median weekly earnings of $1,561, versus $1,004 for nonunion workers: a 55.5% union wage premium, or about $557 more per week. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cautions that these comparisons do not account for age, firm size, industry, or geography. These are the official national figures.
Union wage premium, 2025 (est. from national medians)
+55.5%
$1,561/week union vs $1,004/week nonunion (across all workers: +19.6%)
Median weekly earnings, full-time workers, 2025
Union wage premium by trade, ranked
- 01Electricians+55.5%
- 02Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters+55.5%
- 03Carpenters+55.5%
- 04Painters (Construction & Maintenance)+55.5%
- 05Roofers+55.5%
- 06Structural Iron and Steel Workers+55.5%
- 07Sheet Metal Workers+55.5%
- 08Brickmasons and Blockmasons+55.5%
- 09Glaziers+55.5%
- 10Heavy Equipment Operators+55.5%
- 11Insulation Workers+55.5%
- 12Landscaping & Groundskeeping Workers+52.0%
- 13HVAC Technicians+37.8%
- 14Automotive Service Technicians+37.8%
- 15Maintenance & Repair Workers+37.8%
- 16Welders+22.9%
Median usual weekly earnings from the 2025 BLS Current Population Survey, union membership annual release (Table 4): full-time wage and salary workers, sole or principal job. BLS publishes union-earnings figures for the broader group “Construction and extraction occupations”; these premiums are national. All self-employed workers are excluded. 2025 is an 11-month average (October not collected during the federal shutdown).
Moving to Winston-Salem for work as a sheet metal worker?
Compare free quotes from licensed movers.
Get moving quotesSponsored link
Training and workplace safety
How to become a sheet metal worker in North Carolina
In FY2024, North Carolina had 7 active sheet metal worker apprentices (#48 of 52 jurisdictions) out of 11,562 nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship database. A registered apprenticeship is one paid route into the trade: on-the-job training combined with classroom instruction.
Active sheet metal worker apprentices in North Carolina (statewide, FY2024)
7
11,562 nationwide · North Carolina ranks #48 of 52 jurisdictions
Jurisdictions with the most active sheet metal worker apprentices, FY2024, top 10
- 01California1,910
- 02Missouri684
- 03Ohio650
- 04Texas626
- 05Indiana607
- 06Illinois582
- 07Michigan553
- 08Minnesota479
- 09Pennsylvania451
- 10Colorado403
Sheet metal worker apprenticeship training
A registered sheet metal worker apprenticeship combines paid work with classroom instruction. Employers, unions, and trade associations run programs registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency.
- Paid work
Learn the trade on the job. Apprentice wages rise as skills develop.
- Classroom training
Study alongside supervised work. Programs typically last several years.
- License requirements
In licensed trades such as electrical and plumbing, apprenticeship hours usually count toward the state license. Requirements depend on the trade and state.
Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov, the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship site.
Apprenticeship data sources and occupation titles
Active apprentice counts from the DOL Registered Apprenticeship, FY2024 database (RAPIDS): distinct apprentices by apprentice state (DOL defines this as the apprentice’s location; records from state apprenticeship agencies use the program’s state). Figures are statewide and are the same on every city page in the state. Occupation was not reported for 34.0% of active apprentices, so trade-level counts understate the true pipeline. DOL occupation titles counted: “SHEET METAL WORKER”, “SHEETMETAL WORKER II”. U.S. Department of Labor dataset.
Jobs, hiring, and industry pay
How sheet metal workers pay in Winston-Salem compares to the national median
Sheet Metal Workers in Winston-Salem earn -23.8% less than the US median.
Hiring demand
Job openings for sheet metal workers
260
Projected sheet metal workers openings per year in North Carolina, 2024 to 2034.
Nationally, BLS projects about 9,800 sheet metal workers openings per year from 2025 to 2035. Most come from replacement, not new jobs: about 9,400 a year as workers retire or switch occupations, versus 400 a year from growth.
National: BLS Employment Projections, 2025-2035. State: Projections Central, 2024-2034.
Monthly demand signal
Construction hiring trend
8.37M
Construction workers employed in October 2026, up 1.5% from a year earlier.
Buildings (236)
up 1.6%
vs year earlier
Heavy and civil (237)
up 2.5%
vs year earlier
Specialty trades (238)
up 1.3%
vs year earlier
Production and nonsupervisory workers in construction averaged $39.70/hr in October 2026, up 5.2% from a year earlier. Supervisory pay is not included.
These are national construction-industry figures, not sheet metal workers-specific. They describe demand, not pay for this trade.
BLS Current Employment Statistics, seasonally adjusted, through October 2026. The latest month is preliminary and subject to revision.
Pay by industry
Where sheet metal workers earn the most
Top 8 of 46 published industries by national median hourly pay. These are national figures, not Winston-Salem pay.
Industry pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Industries with suppressed BLS figures are not listed.
Related trades
Related trades to compare
Entry difficulty: Job Zone 2: very little to some preparation needed.
O*NET lists these occupations as related to sheet metal workers, ranked by national median pay. Each link shows the same Winston-Salem page for that trade.
- Plumbers, Pipefitters & Steamfitters$30.67/hr US median
- Structural Iron and Steel Workers$30.18/hr US median
- Carpenters$29.12/hr US median
- Insulation Workers$28.05/hr US median
Related occupations and Job Zones: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor.
Job concentration: Sheet Metal Workers account for 0.80 times the national share of jobs in Winston-Salem.
Sheet Metal Workers pay by city and trade: full rankings
Sheet Metal Workers pay by city: highest to lowest median
Median hourly pay in all 100 cities. The top 10 are highlighted.
Trade pay in Winston-Salem: all 17 trades ranked
Median hourly pay for all 17 trades in Winston-Salem, NC.
Sheet Metal Workers: compare two cities
Pick any two cities to compare sheet metal workers pay side by side: nominal medians, the middle-50% spread, and cost-of-living adjusted figures.
Published wage ranges by city
Hourly pay. Orange marks the median. Shading shows the middle 50%.
- 10th percentile
- $17.92/hr
- 25th percentile
- $18.89/hr
- 75th percentile
- $27.46/hr
- 90th percentile
- $31.80/hr
- 10th percentile
- $20.00/hr
- 25th percentile
- $25.96/hr
- 75th percentile
- $57.11/hr
- 90th percentile
- $62.34/hr
BLS OEWS May 2025 · Data updated October 2026
Winston-Salem
NC · Sheet Metal Workers
$22.64/hr
Median hourly pay
p25 $18.89p75 $27.46
- Jobs in the city
- 170
- Cost-of-living adjusted
- $24.60/hr
Adjusted with BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (index 92.0; US avg = 100). Nominal BLS figures unchanged above.
New York
NY · Sheet Metal Workers
$36.89/hr
Median hourly pay
p25 $25.96p75 $57.11
- Jobs in the city
- 6,080
- Cost-of-living adjusted
- $32.77/hr
Adjusted with BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (index 112.6; US avg = 100). Nominal BLS figures unchanged above.
Moving to New York for work as a sheet metal worker?
Compare free quotes from licensed movers.
Get moving quotesSponsored link
Openings
Find sheet metal workers jobs in Winston-Salem
Job boards carry current openings with posted pay. Use the BLS figures above to judge whether an offer is fair.
Worker pay reports: sheet metal workers in Winston-Salem
Checking for worker-submitted rates…
Get monthly trade salary news
One email a month: sector hiring changes, published wage updates, and one featured city. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheet Metal Workers pay questions
Where does Trade Salaries get its pay data?
From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release: an employer survey covering millions of workers. Worker-submitted figures come from tradespeople who anonymously shared their pay on this site.
What is the difference between median and mean pay?
The median is the middle of the pay scale: half of sheet metal workers in Winston-Salem earn more, half earn less. The mean is the arithmetic average, which a few very high earners can pull upward. When comparing job offers, the median is the more useful number.
What do pay percentiles (p10, p25, p75, p90) mean?
They mark points on the pay scale. Ten percent of workers earn less than p10. A quarter earn less than p25 and a quarter earn more than p75. Ten percent earn more than p90. The p25 to p75 range covers the middle half of workers.
Has sheet metal workers pay in Winston-Salem changed since last year?
The median hourly pay for sheet metal workers in Winston-Salem is up 0.1% compared with May 2024, according to BLS OEWS. That is the official year-over-year change. The BLS publishes new wage data once a year, so this is the latest official comparison available. Worker-submitted rates, when posted, can reflect more recent conditions.
What is a location quotient?
It compares a trade's share of local jobs with its share of US jobs. The location quotient for sheet metal workers in Winston-Salem is 0.80. Above 1.0 means a larger share of local jobs; below 1.0 means a smaller share. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
How are hourly and annual pay figures related?
BLS annual figures assume full-time, year-round work: 40 hours a week times 52 weeks, or 2,080 hours. The annual number is the hourly rate multiplied by 2,080. Overtime, bonuses, and unpaid time off are not included, so actual take-home pay varies with hours worked.
How current is the pay data?
The official figures are from BLS OEWS May 2025, the latest full release. The BLS publishes new wage data once a year, usually the following spring. Worker-submitted rates update continuously as people add them, and reflect current conditions more quickly than the annual survey.
How do I submit my pay anonymously?
Use the Add your rate form. It takes about 30 seconds and asks for no name, email, or account. Your trade, city, experience, and pay are all you enter. Submissions are reviewed before they appear publicly on the matching rate pages.
How do I become a sheet metal worker in North Carolina?
Through a registered apprenticeship: paid on-the-job training plus classroom instruction, typically lasting several years, with wages that rise as you learn. North Carolina had 7 active sheet metal worker apprentices in FY2024, #48 of 52 jurisdictions (DOL). Search open programs at Apprenticeship.gov.
Do union sheet metal workers earn more?
Yes. In 2025, full-time union members in construction and extraction occupations earned a median of $1,561 a week versus $1,004 for nonunion workers, a +55.5% premium. These are national BLS figures; union contracts often add better benefits and overtime rules the wage figures don't capture.
Sheet Metal Workers pay in other cities
Other trade pay in Winston-Salem
How does Winston-Salem compare nationally? See the 2026 state of trade pay report: fastest-growing wages, biggest city pay premiums, and union gaps, computed from official BLS data.