- The middle half earn between $24.35 and $42.12 an hour.
- Pennsylvania ranks 29th of the 50 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- Pennsylvania pays less than all 6 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 3,260 sheet metal workers on payrolls in Pennsylvania.
- At the state median wage, a sheet metal or HVAC business needs to bill about $122.43 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Sheet Metal Worker pay in Pennsylvania, 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 | $21.95 | $45,660 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $24.35 | $50,650 | $22.99 |
| Median | $29.52 | $61,400 | $29.71 |
| 75th percentile | $42.12 | $87,610 | $39.24 |
| 90th percentile | $60.78 | $126,430 | $50.79 |
| Average (mean) | $35.05 | $72,910 | $32.62 |
From the bottom tenth ($21.95) to the top tenth ($60.78), the top of the scale pays about 2.8 times the bottom in Pennsylvania, close to the 2.7 times spread for sheet metal workers nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $21.95 against $18.57 at the bottom tenth, and $60.78 against $50.79 at the top.
The average wage, $35.05, sits 19% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical sheet metal worker makes.
How Pennsylvania compares with other states
Over a full year the gap to the national median is small: $61,400 in Pennsylvania against $61,800 nationally, $400 less.
In the state ranking, Pennsylvania sits 29th, between Montana ($29.53) and Kentucky ($29.17). The range runs from $22.03 in Arkansas to $47.38 in Washington.
Every one of the neighboring states pays sheet metal workers more than Pennsylvania. The closest is Delaware at $29.55, and the biggest gap is with New Jersey.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Pennsylvania |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $29.52 | $61,400 | |
| Delaware | $29.55 | $61,460 | +$0.03 an hour |
| Maryland | $30.08 | $62,560 | +$0.56 an hour |
| New Jersey | $44.64 | $92,840 | +$15.12 an hour |
| New York | $35.46 | $73,760 | +$5.94 an hour |
| Ohio | $35.96 | $74,790 | +$6.44 an hour |
| West Virginia | $34.81 | $72,390 | +$5.29 an hour |
How many sheet metal workers work in Pennsylvania
About 3,260 sheet metal workers work on payrolls in Pennsylvania, 2.7% of the 119,770 nationwide, the 12th largest count among the states.
It is a smaller part of local jobs than in most of the country, at 0.5 per 1,000 jobs, 0.70 times the national share.
What a sheet metal or HVAC business in Pennsylvania should charge
Say you run a sheet metal or HVAC business in Pennsylvania and pay the state median of $29.52 an hour. Here is the labor rate calculator's math on 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 | $29.52 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $66,099 |
| Break-even rate | ($66,099 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $104.07 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $104.07 ÷ 0.85 | $122.43 |
That is $122.43 per billable hour, 4.1 times the wage, and almost the same as the $122.76 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $42.12 in Pennsylvania, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $144.56.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $24.35, the rate only drops to $113.35.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
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.