Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

51-2041 Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Occupational Description:
Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products. Shipfitters are included in “Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic” (51-4192).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2026

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Southeast Minnesota	70	14	$25.46/hr	$20.97/hr	$23.59/hr	$24.14/hr	$28.00/hr	$29.41/hr

Leading Industries for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Manufacturing	630	$27.74/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	N/A	N/A

Other Regional Data for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Duluth MN-WI MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	N/A	N/A	N/A
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	20	$25.35/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	20	$28.00/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	30	$25.02/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	30	$25.68/hr	-10.0%
Southwest Balance of State	40	$24.70/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	50	$25.01/hr	-14.4%
Southeast Balance of State	50	$24.14/hr	N/A
Northwest Minnesota	60	$23.90/hr	-11.1%
Northwest Balance of State	60	$23.90/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	70	$24.14/hr	-10.2%
St Cloud MN MSA	110	$29.73/hr	N/A
Central Minnesota	190	$29.72/hr	-9.4%
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	250	$28.25/hr	-16.7%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	310	$28.65/hr	N/A
Minnesota	640	$27.65/hr	-13.5%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change -
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles	490	$29.32/hr	N/A
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic	N/A	N/A	N/A
Insulation Workers, Mechanical	250	$52.18/hr	5.1%

Task for Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Set up and operate fabricating machines, such as brakes, rolls, shears, flame cutters, grinders, and drill presses, to bend, cut, form, punch, drill, or otherwise form and assemble metal components.
Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld.
Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures.
Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.
Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves.
Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches.
Tack-weld fitted parts together.