- The middle half earn between $28.07 and $57.63 an hour.
- Only 3 states pay sheet metal workers more at the median.
- New Jersey pays more than all 3 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 2,790 sheet metal workers on payrolls in New Jersey.
- At the state median wage, a sheet metal or HVAC business needs to bill about $148.98 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Sheet Metal Worker pay in New Jersey, bottom to top
Sheet metal workers fabricate and install ductwork, flashing, gutters and metal roofing parts, in a shop and on site.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.25 | $46,290 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $28.07 | $58,390 | $22.99 |
| Median | $44.64 | $92,840 | $29.71 |
| 75th percentile | $57.63 | $119,870 | $39.24 |
| 90th percentile | $62.80 | $130,630 | $50.79 |
| Average (mean) | $42.61 | $88,620 | $32.62 |
From the bottom tenth ($22.25) to the top tenth ($62.80), the top of the scale pays about 2.8 times the bottom in New Jersey, close to the 2.7 times spread for sheet metal workers nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $22.25 against $18.57 at the bottom tenth, and $62.80 against $50.79 at the top.
The average wage ($42.61) is a little under the median, so the low end of the range stretches further than the high end in New Jersey.
How New Jersey compares with other states
Over a full year, the New Jersey median of $92,840 is $31,040 more than the national $61,800.
In the state ranking, New Jersey sits 4th, between Alaska ($45.48) and Illinois ($41.65). The range runs from $22.03 in Arkansas to $47.38 in Washington.
New Jersey pays sheet metal workers more than any of its neighboring states, Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in New Jersey. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against New Jersey |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | $44.64 | $92,840 | |
| Delaware | $29.55 | $61,460 | −$15.09 an hour |
| New York | $35.46 | $73,760 | −$9.18 an hour |
| Pennsylvania | $29.52 | $61,400 | −$15.12 an hour |
How many sheet metal workers work in New Jersey
About 2,790 sheet metal workers work on payrolls in New Jersey, 2.3% of the 119,770 nationwide, the 19th largest count among the states.
That is 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in New Jersey, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a sheet metal or HVAC business in New Jersey should charge
Higher wages in New Jersey go straight into the price. Take a sheet metal or HVAC business in New Jersey paying the state median of $44.64 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $44.64 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $99,954 |
| Break-even rate | ($99,954 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $126.64 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $126.64 ÷ 0.85 | $148.98 |
That is $148.98 per billable hour, 3.3 times the wage, and $26.22 more than the $122.76 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $57.63 in New Jersey, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $171.80.
At this wage the pay itself is the biggest part of the price, so every raise shows up in the rate: a dollar more an hour adds about $1.76 per billed hour.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2211, sheet metal workers, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: sheet metal worker salary by state.