- The middle half earn between $25.04 and $39.42 an hour.
- Rhode Island ranks 18th of the 50 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- Rhode Island pays less than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 370 sheet metal workers on payrolls in Rhode Island.
- At the state median wage, a sheet metal or HVAC business needs to bill about $125.56 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Sheet Metal Worker pay in Rhode Island, 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 | $20.51 | $42,670 | $18.57 |
| 25th percentile | $25.04 | $52,080 | $22.99 |
| Median | $31.30 | $65,100 | $29.71 |
| 75th percentile | $39.42 | $81,980 | $39.24 |
| 90th percentile | $39.42 | $81,980 | $50.79 |
| Average (mean) | $30.80 | $64,060 | $32.62 |
Pay is bunched up in Rhode Island. The top tenth earn $39.42 an hour or more, about 1.9 times the $20.51 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.7 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
The floor is higher than nationally ($20.51 against $18.57) but the ceiling is lower ($39.42 against $50.79), which squeezes pay toward the middle.
The average wage ($30.80) is a little under the median, so the low end of the range stretches further than the high end in Rhode Island.
How Rhode Island compares with other states
Over a full year, the Rhode Island median of $65,100 is $3,300 more than the national $61,800.
In the state ranking, Rhode Island sits 18th, between North Dakota ($31.34) and Michigan ($31.01). 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 Rhode Island. The closest is Connecticut at $37.86, and the biggest gap is with Massachusetts.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in Rhode Island. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against Rhode Island |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | $31.30 | $65,100 | |
| Connecticut | $37.86 | $78,750 | +$6.56 an hour |
| Massachusetts | $39.47 | $82,100 | +$8.17 an hour |
How many sheet metal workers work in Rhode Island
About 370 sheet metal workers work on payrolls in Rhode Island, 0.3% of the 119,770 nationwide, the 45th largest count among the states.
That is 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in Rhode Island, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a sheet metal or HVAC business in Rhode Island should charge
Higher wages in Rhode Island go straight into the price. Take a sheet metal or HVAC business in Rhode Island paying the state median of $31.30 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 | $31.30 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $70,084 |
| Break-even rate | ($70,084 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $106.72 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $106.72 ÷ 0.85 | $125.56 |
That is $125.56 per billable hour, 4 times the wage, and $2.79 more than the $122.76 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $39.42 in Rhode Island, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $139.82.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $25.04, the rate only drops to $114.56.
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.