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Boston Career Explorer

Production

Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters

Fabricate, position, align, and fit parts of structural metal products.

Also called: Fabricator, Fitter, Layout Man, Metal Fabricator, Mill Beam Fitter, Ship Fitter

Median pay in Greater Boston
$64,350
$30.94/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
440
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−13.4%
60 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
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
$48,780$50,470$64,350$81,300$85,550

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

What you’d do

  • Verify conformance of workpieces to specifications, using squares, rulers, and measuring tapes.
  • Study engineering drawings and blueprints to determine materials requirements and task sequences.
  • 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.
  • Lay out and examine metal stock or workpieces to be processed to ensure that specifications are met.
  • Tack-weld fitted parts together.
  • Move parts into position, manually or with hoists or cranes.

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 exposure12 of 100

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

  • AIOE 14
  • Language-model AIOE 15
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 6

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

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools could help with reading drawings and planning the order of work. They do not touch the hands-on fitting, aligning, and welding. Massachusetts is projected to lose jobs in this field (-13.4%), partly because federal projections say collaborative robots let the same crew produce more.

Likely to change

  • Reviewing drawings and planning work sequences
  • Figuring material needs from blueprints

Still relies on people

  • Positioning, fitting, and welding parts by hand
  • Checking pieces with squares and tape measures

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as collaborative robotics increase efficiency, allowing more output to be produced with the same amount of labor.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

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 read blueprints and align steel parts. This apprenticeship path builds on that and has a much higher Boston median pay of $120,840.

    Pay difference
    +$56,490 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Glaziers

    Reading blueprints and checking that work is plumb and square carry over. Glazier apprenticeships offer higher pay, with a Boston median of $107,610.

    Pay difference
    +$43,260 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +4.9%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Carpenters

    Measuring, marking, and working from plans carry over to carpentry. It offers an apprenticeship and projected job growth in Massachusetts.

    Pay difference
    +$10,860 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

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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