Home / Apprenticeships / Occupations / Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 51-2041.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
7 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters, trained hybrid, time-based, competency-based. The shortest approved term is 4,000 hours, for FITTER (Mach Shop) (hybrid).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| FABRICATOR-ASSEMBLER METAL PROD | 0833 | Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
| FITTER (Mach Shop) | 0197 | Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| FITTER I (Any Ind) | 0189 | Competency-Based: 7,000 hours Hybrid: 7,000 to 8,750 hours Time-Based: 7,000 hours |
| FORMER, HAND (Any Ind) | 0200 | Hybrid: 4,000 to 5,000 hours Time-Based: 4,000 hours |
| METAL FABRICATOR | 0325 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours Time-Based (V2): 8,000 hours |
| PLATE SHOP OPERATOR | 1093 | Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
| SHIP PROPELLER FINISHER | 0611 | Hybrid: 6,000 to 7,500 hours Time-Based: 6,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What structural metal fabricators and fitters earn, by state
Maine has the highest state median for structural metal fabricators and fitters ($64,760) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($29,320), across the 48 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | $64,760 | $31.13 | 770 |
| Alaska | $63,420 | $30.49 | 70 |
| Oregon | $62,220 | $29.92 | 560 |
| Massachusetts | $62,040 | $29.83 | 690 |
| Washington | $61,850 | $29.74 | 1,050 |
| Indiana | $60,180 | $28.93 | 3,870 |
| Connecticut | $58,760 | $28.25 | 500 |
| Idaho | $58,140 | $27.95 | 320 |
| California | $57,590 | $27.69 | 3,420 |
| Wisconsin | $56,310 | $27.07 | 1,810 |
| Minnesota | $56,210 | $27.03 | 640 |
| New Jersey | $55,650 | $26.76 | 1,540 |
| Illinois | $55,380 | $26.63 | 1,910 |
| Kentucky | $55,250 | $26.56 | 450 |
| New York | $55,080 | $26.48 | 2,040 |
| North Dakota | $54,430 | $26.17 | 140 |
| Virginia | $53,940 | $25.93 | 1,220 |
| New Hampshire | $53,920 | $25.92 | 100 |
| Missouri | $53,610 | $25.77 | 550 |
| Ohio | $52,300 | $25.14 | 1,090 |
| Alabama | $52,220 | $25.11 | 2,130 |
| Wyoming | $51,740 | $24.88 | 60 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,640 | $24.83 | 1,690 |
| Iowa | $51,360 | $24.69 | 650 |
| Colorado | $51,120 | $24.58 | 330 |
| South Dakota | $50,800 | $24.42 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $50,460 | $24.26 | 2,260 |
| Oklahoma | $50,380 | $24.22 | 710 |
| Maryland | $50,110 | $24.09 | 620 |
| Georgia | $50,010 | $24.05 | 560 |
| Louisiana | $49,120 | $23.62 | 2,520 |
| North Carolina | $48,990 | $23.55 | 1,070 |
| Nebraska | $48,820 | $23.47 | 580 |
| New Mexico | $48,700 | $23.41 | 240 |
| Texas | $48,490 | $23.31 | 4,440 |
| Arizona | $48,150 | $23.15 | 940 |
| Utah | $48,130 | $23.14 | 780 |
| Michigan | $47,950 | $23.05 | 1,270 |
| Kansas | $47,840 | $23.00 | 620 |
| Delaware | $46,940 | $22.57 | 110 |
| South Carolina | $46,910 | $22.56 | 1,020 |
| Florida | $46,880 | $22.54 | 2,950 |
| West Virginia | $46,880 | $22.54 | 180 |
| Hawaii | $43,750 | $21.03 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $42,550 | $20.46 | 700 |
| Arkansas | $41,260 | $19.84 | 640 |
| Nevada | $39,570 | $19.03 | 150 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,320 | $14.10 | 40 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).