SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-2041 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters — Erie

Erie, PA · 8 metro areas compared

$47,670 /year
$22.92per hour
60jobs in area
−7.1%vs US median

The median wage for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters in Erie, PA is $47,670 per year, close to the national median of $51,330 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $51,33010TH$36,570MEDIAN$47,67075TH$61,79090TH$83,940

How pay has moved

$52,428$31,2032019202020212022202320242025$47,670
$34,740 in 2019 to $47,670 in 2025, +37.2% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-16.3%
Openings per year
4,100
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Erie, PA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters in Erie, PA is $47,670 per year, close to the national median of $51,330 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $36,570 at the tenth percentile to more than $83,940 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $41,230 to $61,790.

The area has 60 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.5 of every thousand jobs. Harrisburg leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $56,290. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 199th of 345 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Erie, PA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$36,570−28.8%
25th$41,230−19.7%
Median (50th)$47,670−7.1%
75th$61,790+20.4%
90th$83,940+63.5%
Mean$53,620+4.5%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Pennsylvania

Median annual wage for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Harrisburg$56,29040
2Philadelphia$54,840640
3Reading$52,78060
4York$52,700160
5Pittsburgh$51,510230
6Allentown$50,62080
7Lancaster$49,390230
8Lebanon$47,99040

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Erie run 9.0% below the national average, so the median of $47,670 goes as far as $52,385 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 2.1% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$47,670as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$52,385US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $47,670 a year, 7.1% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $36,570 to $83,940 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 60 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Harrisburg, at $56,290.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters in Erie, PA?

The median annual wage is $47,670, or $22.92 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $51,330, so pay in Erie, PA is 7.1% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Erie, PA earns more than $83,940 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $36,570 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Harrisburg, at $56,290 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 60 jobs in this occupation in Erie, PA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters Salary in Erie, PA (2025): $47,670 Median | Salary Explorer