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Pipelayers: Career Profile

Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains. Perform any combination of the following tasks: grade trenches or culverts, position pipe, or seal joints.

The Daily Work of Pipelayers Perform?

The day-to-day responsibilities of pipelayers span:

• Grade or level trench bases, using tamping machines or hand tools.
• Dig trenches to desired or required depths, by hand or using trenching tools.
• Cut pipes to required lengths.
• Install or use instruments such as lasers, grade rods, or transit levels.
• Cover pipes with earth or other materials.
• Connect pipe pieces and seal joints, using welding equipment, cement, or glue.
• Install or repair sanitary or stormwater sewer structures or pipe systems.
• Check slopes for conformance to requirements, using levels or lasers.

Key Skills and Knowledge

Effective pipelayers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Core Knowledge

Types of Pipelayers Jobs

This career also goes by job titles like:

• Cast Iron Drain Pipe Layer
• Drain Layer
• Drain Tiler
• Pipe Assembly Worker
• Pipe Caulker
• Pipe Connector
• Pipe Cutter
• Pipe Fitter

How Many Pipelayers Are There?

There are roughly 490,711 pipelayers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +8.6% over the projection horizon.

Pipelayers Pay

Statistic	Value
Annual median	$78,700
Hourly median	$37.84
10th percentile	$46,921
25th percentile	$62,811
75th percentile	$94,590
90th percentile	$110,479

Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.

Pay by State

State	Annual median salary
Alaska	$93,500
Minnesota	$84,880
Wisconsin	$81,300
Washington	$80,280
California	$78,090
New York	$76,490
Indiana	$75,320
New Jersey	$70,780
Michigan	$64,340
Oregon	$64,110
Nevada	$63,040
Idaho	$62,780
Arizona	$61,810
Massachusetts	$60,870
Pennsylvania	$60,730
Ohio	$59,120
Maine	$59,020
Maryland	$58,260
Delaware	$57,990
Kentucky	$57,400
Colorado	$56,630
Montana	$56,420
District of Columbia	$54,130
Iowa	$51,800
Vermont	$51,760
Utah	$51,180
North Dakota	$50,780
Oklahoma	$50,190
Nebraska	$49,600
Illinois	$49,030
Virginia	$48,540
New Hampshire	$48,120
South Dakota	$47,230
Florida	$46,370
Kansas	$45,860
Tennessee	$45,800
Georgia	$45,780
Texas	$45,550
North Carolina	$45,350
South Carolina	$44,480
Louisiana	$43,030
New Mexico	$42,670
Mississippi	$41,260
Alabama	$39,870
Arkansas	$36,710
West Virginia	$36,080
Puerto Rico	$25,690

Where Pipelayers Earn the Most

Earnings for pipelayers shift depending on where you work. Top regions by median wage:

Region	Median annual wage	Share of U.S. jobs	Location quotient
Far Western US	$76,085	11.7%	1.05
Great Lakes	$68,289	9.0%	1.01
Middle Atlantic	$64,771	6.4%	0.63
Plains States	$56,500	4.0%	1.61
Rocky Mountains	$54,509	4.6%	1.41
New England	$53,801	1.5%	0.94
Southwest	$47,210	22.2%	1.88
Southeast	$45,322	40.0%	1.94

Top Metro Areas

Metro area	State	Median annual wage	Employment
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	MN	$88,910
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI	WI	$85,180	100
Madison, WI	WI	$84,650	40
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	WA	$82,660	820
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	NY	$82,280	30
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	CA	$82,090	500
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	NY	$81,990	560
Bellingham, WA	WA	$80,310	50

Top Industries Employing Pipelayers

The bulk of pipelayers work in these industries:

Industry	Employment	Median annual wage
Construction	26,610	$48,620
Utilities	580	$51,710
Wholesale Trade	150	$61,030
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services	130	$41,870
Educational Services	60	$62,890
Manufacturing	50	$79,240

Below are examples of industries where pipelayers work:

Tools and Technology

• Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
• Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)

Work Environment

Daily working conditions for pipelayers is shaped by the following characteristics:

• Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
• Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions
• Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team
• Contact With Others

Education and Training

Entry-level pipelayers positions require less than a high school diploma as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Other Careers to Consider

Similar Occupations

• Boilermakers (Primary-Long)
• Brickmasons and Blockmasons (Supplemental)
• Carpenters (Supplemental)
• Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (Supplemental)
• Construction Laborers (Primary-Short)
• Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators (Primary-Long)
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (Supplemental)
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall (Primary-Short)

About the Data

This profile draws on the following authoritative sources:

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
• BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
• O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 47-2151.00 (Pipelayers).