Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Salary: $80,653 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 455,940 plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters nationally earn a mean of $80,653. Employment in the series shown rose about 7% from the first to the last year; much hiring sits in construction.
Key Statistics
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters: what the data shows
Common questions about plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters?
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2152.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 455,940 workers.
What does a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities, Handling and Moving Objects, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters make?
BLS national median annual wage: $62,970 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $80,653 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,817 |
| 25th percentile | $58,768 |
| Median (50th) | $70,400 |
| 75th percentile | $98,122 |
| 90th percentile | $130,517 |
What education do you need?
For Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, Mechanical, Design, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.1% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -0.3%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -0.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 455,940.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitterss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 455,940 | 17.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 433,050 | 16.2% |
| Construction | 374,640 | 14.1% |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 341,890 | 12.8% |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 335,050 | 12.6% |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 326,460 | 12.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | 33,580 | $48,710 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters workforce.
Employment Over Time
455,940 Workforce in 2023
The Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$80,653 Average Wage
In 2023, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters earned an average of $80,653.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Salary distribution for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
180,139 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -0.3%
179,521 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -0.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Wage Trends by Industry
3.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 45,460 employees, $78,350 avg wage
- TX: 42,290 employees, $59,500 avg wage
- FL: 26,730 employees, $53,630 avg wage
- NY: 22,630 employees, $84,510 avg wage
- IL: 18,730 employees, $89,180 avg wage
- MA: 15,670 employees, $87,390 avg wage
- OH: 14,490 employees, $66,940 avg wage
- NC: 14,300 employees, $54,120 avg wage
- PA: 13,990 employees, $73,950 avg wage
- VA: 13,190 employees, $58,820 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 21,500 employees, $91,060 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 14,230 employees, $92,410 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 13,440 employees, $77,980 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 11,320 employees, $89,040 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 11,150 employees, $60,950 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 11,120 employees, $62,910 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 9,990 employees, $69,580 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 8,780 employees, $71,000 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 7,570 employees, $80,560 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 7,090 employees, $86,270 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Diversity
Demographic information on Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in 2023 was 455,940 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Plumbing Technology.
Common majors for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters workers.
Education level distribution for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Skills
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Repairing, Troubleshooting, Monitoring.
Required skills for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters include Building and Construction, Mechanical, Design, Mathematics, Customer and Personal Service.
Knowledge areas required for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters include Problem Sensitivity, Near Vision, Finger Dexterity, Deductive Reasoning, Manual Dexterity.
Required abilities for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
Daily Activities
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Performing General Physical Activities.
Most important work activities for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters.
About
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
The average yearly wage for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters was $80,653 in 2023.
SOC Code
47-2152 - Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters reports an average salary of $80,653.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 455,940 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.1%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.