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Boston Career Explorer

Construction and Extraction

Fence Erectors

Erect and repair fences and fence gates, using hand and power tools.

Also called: Fence Builder, Fence Contractor, Fence Erector, Fence Installer, Fence Laborer, Fence Mechanic

Median pay in Greater Boston
$49,210
$23.66/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
Not published
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$47,720$47,890$49,210$65,160$77,620

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Establish the location for a fence, and gather information needed to ensure that there are no electric cables or water lines in the area.
  • Set metal or wooden posts in upright positions in postholes.
  • Measure and lay out fence lines and mark posthole positions, following instructions, drawings, or specifications.
  • Align posts, by lines or sighting, and verify vertical alignment of posts, using plumb bobs or spirit levels.
  • Attach rails or tension wire along bottoms of posts to form fencing frames.
  • Dig postholes, using spades, posthole diggers, or power-driven augers.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure3 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 1
  • Language-model AIOE 1
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 7

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for fence erectors is low, and observed AI use in this job is little or none. AI tools could help a little with planning a fence layout from drawings or checking utility information before digging. The physical work of setting posts, aligning them, and attaching rails and wire is done by hand on site, and AI tools do not touch it.

Likely to change

  • Planning fence layout from drawings
  • Looking up utility lines before digging

Still relies on people

  • Setting and aligning posts by hand
  • Attaching rails and wire on site

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    You already lay out work from drawings and check that posts are plumb. Steel work uses both skills and pays a Boston median of $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$71,630 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Marking guidelines and checking plumb and level carry over directly. Brickmasons earn a Boston median of $96,960 and train through an apprenticeship.

    Pay difference
    +$47,750 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers

    Setting and aligning forms is like aligning fence posts. This job needs no formal credential and offers a Boston median of $62,870.

    Pay difference
    +$13,660 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +2.9%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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