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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

47-2151 Pipelayers

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. Excludes “Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers” (51-4121).


National estimates for Pipelayers
Industry profile for Pipelayers
Geographic profile for Pipelayers

National estimates for Pipelayers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Pipelayers:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
36,070 2.3 % $ 24.63 $ 51,230 1.1 %

Percentile wage estimates for Pipelayers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 16.43 $ 18.42 $ 22.11 $ 28.70 $ 37.39
Annual Wage (2) $ 34,180 $ 38,300 $ 45,990 $ 59,700 $ 77,760


Industry profile for Pipelayers:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Pipelayers are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Pipelayers, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Pipelayers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 13,720 2.45 $ 24.39 $ 50,730
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 7,660 0.14 $ 23.68 $ 49,250
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 4,630 0.61 $ 24.39 $ 50,730
Building Equipment Contractors 2,870 0.12 $ 28.86 $ 60,030
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 2,040 0.57 $ 24.84 $ 51,660

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Pipelayers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 13,720 2.45 $ 24.39 $ 50,730
Other Pipeline Transportation 70 0.81 $ 35.79 $ 74,440
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 410 0.74 $ 21.70 $ 45,130
Land Subdivision 220 0.64 $ 19.88 $ 41,350
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 4,630 0.61 $ 24.39 $ 50,730

Top paying industries for Pipelayers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Pipeline Transportation 70 0.81 $ 35.79 $ 74,440
Ship and Boat Building 80 0.05 $ 31.02 $ 64,520
Natural Gas Distribution 210 0.19 $ 28.91 $ 60,120
Building Equipment Contractors 2,870 0.12 $ 28.86 $ 60,030
Nonresidential Building Construction 1,360 0.17 $ 27.85 $ 57,930


Geographic profile for Pipelayers:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Pipelayers are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Pipelayers, see the Create Customized Tables function.



Map of employment of pipelayers by state, May 2022


States with the highest employment level in Pipelayers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 4,940 0.38 1.56 $ 20.66 $ 42,960
Florida 4,050 0.44 1.80 $ 20.40 $ 42,430
North Carolina 3,020 0.65 2.67 $ 20.05 $ 41,710
California 2,180 0.12 0.51 $ 28.73 $ 59,750
Georgia 1,690 0.37 1.50 $ 19.00 $ 39,520


Map of location quotient of pipelayers by state, May 2022


States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pipelayers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nebraska 740 0.77 3.14 $ 21.00 $ 43,680
North Carolina 3,020 0.65 2.67 $ 20.05 $ 41,710
West Virginia 440 0.65 2.66 $ 21.99 $ 45,740
Alabama 1,110 0.56 2.28 $ 19.66 $ 40,900
Utah 760 0.47 1.93 $ 23.51 $ 48,890


Map of annual mean wages of pipelayers by state, May 2022


Top paying states for Pipelayers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York 290 0.03 0.13 $ 39.85 $ 82,880
New Jersey 1,660 0.40 1.66 $ 38.79 $ 80,690
Alaska 40 0.13 0.55 $ 37.71 $ 78,440
Minnesota 830 0.29 1.20 $ 36.95 $ 76,860
Nevada 630 0.45 1.84 $ 35.21 $ 73,240



Map of employment of pipelayers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Pipelayers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,470 0.16 0.66 $ 40.73 $ 84,730
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,410 0.37 1.52 $ 20.65 $ 42,950
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,360 0.44 1.82 $ 21.14 $ 43,960
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 1,030 0.47 1.91 $ 26.26 $ 54,610
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 940 0.74 3.02 $ 21.22 $ 44,130
Austin-Round Rock, TX 870 0.74 3.03 $ 20.77 $ 43,210
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 780 0.29 1.17 $ 20.65 $ 42,940
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 780 0.30 1.21 $ 21.75 $ 45,240
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 740 0.36 1.49 $ 36.77 $ 76,470
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 720 0.56 2.28 $ 20.43 $ 42,490


Map of location quotient of pipelayers by area, May 2022


Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pipelayers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Jacksonville, NC 80 1.67 6.86 $ 16.95 $ 35,250
Jackson, TN 70 1.07 4.37 $ 25.24 $ 52,500
Grand Island, NE 40 1.02 4.16 $ 19.09 $ 39,710
Tuscaloosa, AL 100 0.96 3.92 $ 18.45 $ 38,380
Greeley, CO 100 0.95 3.90 $ 22.72 $ 47,250
Fayetteville, NC 110 0.88 3.59 $ 21.07 $ 43,830
Asheville, NC 170 0.85 3.49 $ 20.15 $ 41,910
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD 70 0.85 3.48 $ 22.55 $ 46,910
Lincoln, NE 140 0.83 3.40 $ 21.52 $ 44,760
Midland, TX 90 0.82 3.38 $ 25.28 $ 52,580


Map of annual mean wages of pipelayers by area, May 2022


Top paying metropolitan areas for Pipelayers:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,470 0.16 0.66 $ 40.73 $ 84,730
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 570 0.30 1.25 $ 37.62 $ 78,240
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 160 0.20 0.83 $ 36.81 $ 76,560
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 740 0.36 1.49 $ 36.77 $ 76,470
Madison, WI 50 0.13 0.53 $ 36.70 $ 76,340
Green Bay, WI 60 0.38 1.57 $ 35.54 $ 73,930
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 300 0.11 0.44 $ 34.44 $ 71,640
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 250 0.11 0.43 $ 34.02 $ 70,760
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 110 0.04 0.16 $ 33.34 $ 69,350
Pittsburgh, PA 170 0.17 0.68 $ 33.23 $ 69,110

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Pipelayers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 200 1.54 6.31 $ 22.20 $ 46,170
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 200 0.83 3.41 $ 18.34 $ 38,150
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 180 0.74 3.01 $ 17.76 $ 36,950
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 170 1.16 4.75 $ 20.00 $ 41,600
North Georgia nonmetropolitan area 160 0.90 3.70 $ 17.37 $ 36,130

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Pipelayers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 110 1.77 7.25 $ 23.46 $ 48,800
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 200 1.54 6.31 $ 22.20 $ 46,170
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 170 1.16 4.75 $ 20.00 $ 41,600
South Central Tennessee nonmetropolitan area 120 1.12 4.60 $ 19.90 $ 41,380
East Georgia nonmetropolitan area 90 1.09 4.47 $ 15.91 $ 33,080

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pipelayers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 60 0.48 1.96 $ 35.62 $ 74,090
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.27 1.10 $ 33.87 $ 70,460
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 90 0.43 1.77 $ 33.68 $ 70,040
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 40 0.18 0.75 $ 33.26 $ 69,180
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 40 0.39 1.58 $ 29.93 $ 62,250


About May 2022 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2022 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2022 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 25, 2023