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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

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)
33,330 3.1 % $ 23.32 $ 48,510 1.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Pipelayers:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $ 14.42 $ 17.74 $ 22.11 $ 28.48 $ 36.25
Annual Wage (2) $ 30,000 $ 36,910 $ 45,980 $ 59,240 $ 75,410


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 12,000 2.22 $ 22.65 $ 47,110
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) 7,270 0.14 $ 22.42 $ 46,630
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 4,090 0.57 $ 22.37 $ 46,520
Building Equipment Contractors 3,390 0.15 $ 27.51 $ 57,210
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 2,220 0.62 $ 23.19 $ 48,220

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 12,000 2.22 $ 22.65 $ 47,110
Other Pipeline Transportation 80 0.93 $ 36.44 $ 75,790
Land Subdivision 280 0.83 $ 19.96 $ 41,510
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 2,220 0.62 $ 23.19 $ 48,220
Water, Sewage and Other Systems 320 0.61 $ 22.04 $ 45,850

Top paying industries for Pipelayers:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Pipeline Transportation 80 0.93 $ 36.44 $ 75,790
Ship and Boat Building (8) (8) $ 28.94 $ 60,200
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors 260 0.03 $ 28.20 $ 58,650
Building Equipment Contractors 3,390 0.15 $ 27.51 $ 57,210
Nonresidential Building Construction 1,290 0.17 $ 26.87 $ 55,890


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 2021


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 3,810 0.31 1.32 $ 19.02 $ 39,560
Florida 3,570 0.41 1.75 $ 19.67 $ 40,910
North Carolina 3,070 0.69 2.93 $ 19.06 $ 39,650
California 2,360 0.14 0.60 $ 27.77 $ 57,770
Georgia 1,420 0.32 1.37 $ 17.84 $ 37,100


Map of location quotient of pipelayers by state, May 2021


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)
West Virginia 560 0.85 3.58 $ 18.71 $ 38,920
North Carolina 3,070 0.69 2.93 $ 19.06 $ 39,650
Alabama 1,070 0.56 2.35 $ 19.23 $ 39,990
Florida 3,570 0.41 1.75 $ 19.67 $ 40,910
Colorado 1,090 0.41 1.75 $ 24.65 $ 51,270


Map of annual mean wages of pipelayers by state, May 2021


Top paying states for Pipelayers:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Jersey 1,180 0.31 1.30 $ 40.15 $ 83,510
Minnesota 980 0.36 1.51 $ 34.65 $ 72,080
Wisconsin 710 0.26 1.09 $ 31.91 $ 66,370
Washington 1,130 0.35 1.49 $ 31.26 $ 65,010
Illinois (8) (8) (8) $ 29.56 $ 61,490



Map of employment of pipelayers by area, May 2021


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)
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,030 0.36 1.50 $ 19.73 $ 41,030
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 970 0.11 0.47 $ 41.49 $ 86,310
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 900 0.75 3.15 $ 20.12 $ 41,850
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 900 0.25 1.05 $ 19.88 $ 41,340
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 720 0.49 2.07 $ 25.79 $ 53,640
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 710 0.34 1.43 $ 23.99 $ 49,890
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL 700 0.28 1.20 $ 20.33 $ 42,280
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 690 0.36 1.52 $ 33.62 $ 69,930
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 690 0.38 1.59 $ 36.30 $ 75,510
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 660 0.26 1.08 $ 19.36 $ 40,260


Map of location quotient of pipelayers by area, May 2021


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)
Jackson, TN 90 1.29 5.47 $ 23.79 $ 49,480
Jacksonville, NC 50 1.12 4.74 $ 16.63 $ 34,580
Tuscaloosa, AL 110 1.12 4.74 $ 18.81 $ 39,130
Fayetteville, NC 120 0.99 4.19 $ 19.78 $ 41,150
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC 140 0.94 3.99 $ 16.77 $ 34,890
Asheville, NC 170 0.93 3.92 $ 18.37 $ 38,200
Midland, TX 90 0.92 3.88 $ 22.33 $ 46,440
Greeley, CO 90 0.92 3.88 $ 22.74 $ 47,300
Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH 30 0.90 3.80 $ 17.71 $ 36,840
Beckley, WV 30 0.85 3.59 $ 17.73 $ 36,880


Map of annual mean wages of pipelayers by area, May 2021


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 970 0.11 0.47 $ 41.49 $ 86,310
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 690 0.38 1.59 $ 36.30 $ 75,510
Madison, WI 80 0.21 0.90 $ 34.04 $ 70,810
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 690 0.36 1.52 $ 33.62 $ 69,930
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (8) (8) (8) $ 33.58 $ 69,850
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 60 0.06 0.24 $ 33.34 $ 69,350
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, WI 160 0.20 0.85 $ 32.77 $ 68,160
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 50 0.57 2.40 $ 32.23 $ 67,030
Green Bay, WI 60 0.34 1.44 $ 32.12 $ 66,820
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD 320 0.12 0.51 $ 31.96 $ 66,490

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)
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 210 0.88 3.71 $ 17.74 $ 36,910
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 190 1.44 6.11 $ 17.52 $ 36,440
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 180 0.75 3.15 $ 17.11 $ 35,580
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 150 1.06 4.49 $ 20.42 $ 42,480
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area 100 0.57 2.41 $ 15.15 $ 31,510

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)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 190 1.44 6.11 $ 17.52 $ 36,440
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 70 1.10 4.63 $ 17.51 $ 36,420
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 150 1.06 4.49 $ 20.42 $ 42,480
Northeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 90 0.98 4.14 $ 16.78 $ 34,890
Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 80 0.89 3.75 $ 19.52 $ 40,600

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Pipelayers:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 80 0.40 1.71 $ 33.26 $ 69,180
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.31 1.30 $ 31.29 $ 65,070
Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area 70 0.36 1.52 $ 30.77 $ 64,010
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.30 1.27 $ 29.13 $ 60,600
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 40 0.14 0.61 $ 27.59 $ 57,390


About May 2021 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.

(8) Estimate not released.

(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 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022