Boilermakers Salary
In St. Louis, MO-IL, boilermakers earn $94,640 at the median, or about $45.5 an hour. The range runs from $79K at the entry level to $128K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $99,527 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 20.4% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $95K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About boilermakers
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What this looks like in St. Louis
St. Louis sits well above the national pay line for boilermakers, local pay runs about 24% higher than the U.S. median of $76K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 20.5% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, St. Louis offers a genuinely strong financial position for boilermakerss at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for boilermakers in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Tulsa | $64K | $72K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $110K | $106K |
| Knoxville | $51K | $56K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level boilermakers (10th percentile) start around $79K. Mid-career wages sit at $95K. Top earners bring in $128K or more, a $49K spread from bottom to top.
Boilermakers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Boilermakers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $118K | +55% | 720 |
| Mississippi | $106K | +39% | 280 |
| New Mexico | $101K | +32% | 300 |
| Illinois | $100K | +31% | 110 |
| Michigan | $98K | +29% | N/A |
| Wisconsin | $98K | +28% | 170 |
| Minnesota | $96K | +26% | 140 |
| Washington | $95K | +25% | 190 |
| Indiana | $91K | +20% | 170 |
| Colorado | $89K | +17% | 40 |
| Idaho | $88K | +16% | 70 |
| Pennsylvania | $87K | +14% | 260 |
| Ohio | $86K | +12% | 300 |
| New Hampshire | $85K | +12% | 60 |
| New York | $85K | +11% | 410 |
| Iowa | $82K | +8% | 50 |
| New Jersey | $82K | +8% | 280 |
| Connecticut | $80K | +5% | 50 |
| Missouri | $79K | +3% | 100 |
| Arizona | $78K | +2% | 170 |
| Wyoming | $78K | +2% | 30 |
| Oklahoma | $78K | +2% | N/A |
| Arkansas | $77K | +1% | 50 |
| Texas | $76K | -1% | 2,340 |
| South Carolina | $75K | -2% | N/A |
| Kentucky | $75K | -2% | 150 |
| Louisiana | $74K | -3% | 1,220 |
| Kansas | $72K | -6% | 70 |
| Florida | $70K | -9% | 400 |
| Virginia | $68K | -12% | 150 |
| Georgia | $64K | -16% | N/A |
| West Virginia | $64K | -16% | 30 |
| Alabama | $64K | -17% | 180 |
| Nevada | $61K | -20% | 70 |
| Tennessee | $52K | -32% | 180 |
| North Carolina | $50K | -35% | 150 |
| Maryland | $42K | -45% | 30 |
Showing 1–10 of 37 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track boilermakers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a boilermaker afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $95K, rent takes 20.5% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for boilermakers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new boilermakers typically earn — is $79K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,747/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 26% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is boilermaker a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay is 24% above the national median — $95K here vs. $76K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for boilermakers?
St. Louis pays $95K median vs. the U.S. average of $76K — that’s +24%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $100K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do boilermakers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $94,640 a year, that works out to about $46 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $79,110, and experienced boilermakers can clear $128,220. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $95K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,936/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 20.5% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a boilermakers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median boilermakers salary is worth about $99,527 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do boilermakers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.