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What scaffolders make

Typical erector

$47,120

Ground labor

$35,090

Top tenth: industrial and shutdown crews

$78,090

The wage survey has no separate scaffolder title and counts the work with construction laborers, where the median is $47,120 a year and the bottom tenth earn about $35,090. Ground labor starts at the bottom of that spread. Industrial and shutdown crews sit at the top, and a heavy overtime year can carry you past it.