Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters
Also called: Fabricator, Fitter, Layout Man, Ship FitterFabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 1 of its 23 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 6.2% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.9% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 78% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $52,220 | $46,080 to $60,780 | 2,130 |
| Alaska | $63,420 | $52,270 to $67,580 | 70 |
| Arizona | $48,150 | $44,770 to $49,940 | 940 |
| Arkansas | $41,260 | $37,250 to $52,450 | 640 |
| California | $57,590 | $46,730 to $65,000 | 3,420 |
| Colorado | $51,120 | $47,230 to $57,780 | 330 |
| Connecticut | $58,760 | $48,370 to $71,250 | 500 |
| Delaware | $46,940 | $38,120 to $60,430 | 110 |
| Florida | $46,880 | $37,380 to $51,190 | 2,950 |
| Georgia | $50,010 | $44,040 to $61,010 | 560 |
| Hawaii | $43,750 | $36,690 to $59,550 | 60 |
| Idaho | $58,140 | $44,990 to $67,530 | 320 |
| Illinois | $55,380 | $45,450 to $61,780 | 1,910 |
| Indiana | $60,180 | $47,130 to $68,560 | 3,870 |
| Iowa | $51,360 | $46,620 to $59,990 | 650 |
| Kansas | $47,840 | $38,760 to $57,140 | 620 |
| Kentucky | $55,250 | $48,490 to $55,250 | 450 |
| Louisiana | $49,120 | $38,050 to $58,510 | 2,520 |
| Maine | $64,760 | $57,120 to $64,760 | 770 |
| Maryland | $50,110 | $44,360 to $61,930 | 620 |
| Massachusetts | $62,040 | $48,910 to $77,730 | 690 |
| Michigan | $47,950 | $42,860 to $60,220 | 1,270 |
| Minnesota | $56,210 | $47,960 to $60,460 | 640 |
| Mississippi | $42,550 | $35,200 to $50,690 | 700 |
| Missouri | $53,610 | $44,350 to $62,730 | 550 |
| Nebraska | $48,820 | $42,620 to $56,760 | 580 |
| Nevada | $39,570 | $35,900 to $68,120 | 150 |
| New Hampshire | $53,920 | $51,270 to $64,430 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $55,650 | $48,920 to $59,750 | 1,540 |
| New Mexico | $48,700 | $45,760 to $59,780 | 240 |
| New York | $55,080 | $46,300 to $61,560 | 2,040 |
| North Carolina | $48,990 | $39,790 to $59,560 | 1,070 |
| North Dakota | $54,430 | $52,840 to $57,260 | 140 |
| Ohio | $52,300 | $45,310 to $58,520 | 1,090 |
| Oklahoma | $50,380 | $41,890 to $59,030 | 710 |
| Oregon | $62,220 | $49,370 to $78,810 | 560 |
| Pennsylvania | $51,640 | $47,670 to $58,890 | 1,690 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,320 | $24,250 to $29,320 | 40 |
| South Carolina | $46,910 | $42,680 to $55,230 | 1,020 |
| South Dakota | $50,800 | $40,870 to $59,270 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $50,460 | $45,560 to $58,250 | 2,260 |
| Texas | $48,490 | $42,420 to $58,740 | 4,440 |
| Utah | $48,130 | $43,140 to $60,610 | 780 |
| Virginia | $53,940 | $47,230 to $65,240 | 1,220 |
| Washington | $61,850 | $54,820 to $76,970 | 1,050 |
| West Virginia | $46,880 | $45,760 to $55,370 | 180 |
| Wisconsin | $56,310 | $48,000 to $59,860 | 1,810 |
| Wyoming | $51,740 | $38,340 to $74,500 | 60 |
Nationally: $51,330. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 1 of its 23 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes. | Not published |
| Not much | Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences. | Not published |
| Not much | Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes. | Not published |
| Not much | Position, align, fit, and weld parts to form complete units or subunits, following blueprints and layout specifications, and using jigs, welding torches, and hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met. | Not published |
| Not much | Tack-weld fitted parts together. | Not published |
See all 23 tasks
| Not much | Lift or move materials and finished products, using large cranes. | Not published |
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up face blocks, jigs, and fixtures. | Not published |
| Not much | Hammer, chip, and grind workpieces to cut, bend, and straighten metal. | Not published |
| Not much | Position or tighten braces, jacks, clamps, ropes, or bolt straps, or bolt parts in position for welding or riveting. | Not published |
| Not much | Align and fit parts according to specifications, using jacks, turnbuckles, wedges, drift pins, pry bars, and hammers. | Not published |
| Not much | Locate and mark workpiece bending and cutting lines, allowing for stock thickness, machine and welding shrinkage, and other component specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove high spots and cut bevels, using hand files, portable grinders, and cutting torches. | Not published |
| Not much | Mark reference points onto floors or face blocks and transpose them to workpieces, using measuring devices, squares, chalk, and soapstone. | Not published |
| Not much | Smooth workpiece edges and fix taps, tubes, and valves. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct welders to build up low spots or short pieces with weld. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design and construct templates and fixtures, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Straighten warped or bent parts, using sledges, hand torches, straightening presses, or bulldozers. | Not published |
| Not much | Preheat workpieces to make them malleable, using hand torches or furnaces. | Not published |
| Not much | Heat-treat parts, using acetylene torches. | Not published |
| Not much | Erect ladders and scaffolding to fit together large assemblies. | Not published |
| Not much | Install boilers, containers, and other structures. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 23 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 23 tasks fall under 16 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Position materials or components for assembly | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Smooth surfaces of objects or equipment | |||
| Position workpieces or materials on equipment | |||
| Prepare industrial materials for processing or use | |||
| Join parts using soldering, welding, or brazing techniques | |||
| Operate lifting or moving equipment |
Show all 16 activities
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Design materials or devices | |||
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Inspect completed work or finished products | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Direct organizational operations, activities, or procedures | |||
| Build structures |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for structural metal fabricators and fitters specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 313 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 13%
- 2 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 11%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 9%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
- 5 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 18% less than high school
- 77% high school
- 3% postsecondary certificate
- 2% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 12% less than high school
- 52% high school
- 19% some college
- 9% associate's
- 7% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 280 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Machine Shop Technology/Assistant and Metal Fabricator.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 8 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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