Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
47-2152 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Assemble, install, alter, and repair pipelines or pipe systems that carry water, steam, air, or other liquids or gases. May install heating and cooling equipment and mechanical control systems. Includes sprinkler fitters.
National estimates for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Industry profile for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Geographic profile for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
National estimates for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 417,620 |
1.4 % |
$ 30.46 |
$ 63,350 |
0.7 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 17.65 |
$ 22.40 |
$ 28.79 |
$ 37.45 |
$ 48.04 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 36,700 |
$ 46,590 |
$ 59,880 |
$ 77,890 |
$ 99,920 |
Industry profile for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Building Equipment Contractors |
310,420 |
13.83 |
$ 30.72 |
$ 63,900 |
| Utility System Construction |
14,910 |
2.76 |
$ 30.08 |
$ 62,570 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
10,640 |
0.20 |
$ 27.57 |
$ 57,340 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction |
10,120 |
1.30 |
$ 33.20 |
$ 69,060 |
| Employment Services |
6,880 |
0.20 |
$ 23.70 |
$ 49,290 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
Top paying industries for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
Geographic profile for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
40,400 |
2.44 |
0.82 |
$ 34.62 |
$ 72,000 |
| Texas |
36,920 |
3.02 |
1.02 |
$ 25.23 |
$ 52,470 |
| New York |
25,800 |
2.98 |
1.00 |
$ 37.26 |
$ 77,490 |
| Florida |
23,800 |
2.77 |
0.93 |
$ 23.13 |
$ 48,120 |
| Illinois |
15,790 |
2.81 |
0.95 |
$ 41.44 |
$ 86,200 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Rhode Island |
2,240 |
4.90 |
1.65 |
$ 31.29 |
$ 65,090 |
| Nevada |
6,160 |
4.78 |
1.61 |
$ 31.13 |
$ 64,750 |
| Louisiana |
8,490 |
4.73 |
1.60 |
$ 27.42 |
$ 57,040 |
| Hawaii |
2,330 |
4.26 |
1.44 |
$ 35.02 |
$ 72,830 |
| Wyoming |
1,090 |
4.20 |
1.42 |
$ 25.77 |
$ 53,610 |
Top paying states for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Illinois |
15,790 |
2.81 |
0.95 |
$ 41.44 |
$ 86,200 |
| Alaska |
940 |
3.19 |
1.07 |
$ 41.01 |
$ 85,300 |
| Massachusetts |
12,920 |
3.81 |
1.28 |
$ 40.43 |
$ 84,090 |
| New Jersey |
9,740 |
2.53 |
0.85 |
$ 39.78 |
$ 82,740 |
| Oregon |
4,980 |
2.73 |
0.92 |
$ 39.17 |
$ 81,470 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| 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 |
25,420 |
2.93 |
0.99 |
$ 39.86 |
$ 82,900 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
12,630 |
2.21 |
0.75 |
$ 32.17 |
$ 66,910 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
11,780 |
2.78 |
0.94 |
$ 42.88 |
$ 89,190 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
10,580 |
2.95 |
0.99 |
$ 25.01 |
$ 52,010 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
9,590 |
3.71 |
1.25 |
$ 41.03 |
$ 85,340 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
9,330 |
3.22 |
1.09 |
$ 27.11 |
$ 56,380 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
7,920 |
3.74 |
1.26 |
$ 27.19 |
$ 56,560 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
7,890 |
2.69 |
0.91 |
$ 30.44 |
$ 63,310 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
6,960 |
2.62 |
0.88 |
$ 34.40 |
$ 71,540 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
5,940 |
2.42 |
0.82 |
$ 23.78 |
$ 49,460 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Kokomo, IN |
470 |
12.93 |
4.36 |
$ 34.23 |
$ 71,210 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale, WA |
970 |
11.27 |
3.80 |
$ 31.75 |
$ 66,040 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS |
1,300 |
8.95 |
3.02 |
$ 24.99 |
$ 51,970 |
| Appleton, WI |
1,010 |
8.59 |
2.90 |
$ 36.71 |
$ 76,350 |
| Lake Charles, LA |
720 |
7.97 |
2.69 |
$ 31.75 |
$ 66,050 |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA |
620 |
7.73 |
2.61 |
$ 22.50 |
$ 46,810 |
| Baton Rouge, LA |
2,810 |
7.66 |
2.58 |
$ 30.30 |
$ 63,030 |
| Kennewick-Richland, WA |
890 |
7.63 |
2.58 |
$ 40.29 |
$ 83,800 |
| St. Cloud, MN |
690 |
7.00 |
2.36 |
$ 33.60 |
$ 69,890 |
| Fond du Lac, WI |
300 |
6.90 |
2.33 |
$ 33.48 |
$ 69,640 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA |
2,440 |
2.28 |
0.77 |
$ 45.47 |
$ 94,580 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
5,600 |
2.50 |
0.84 |
$ 43.03 |
$ 89,500 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
11,780 |
2.78 |
0.94 |
$ 42.88 |
$ 89,190 |
| Fairbanks, AK |
190 |
5.41 |
1.82 |
$ 42.17 |
$ 87,710 |
| Anchorage, AK |
500 |
3.07 |
1.04 |
$ 41.42 |
$ 86,140 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
5,880 |
3.07 |
1.03 |
$ 41.37 |
$ 86,040 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL |
490 |
4.96 |
1.67 |
$ 41.15 |
$ 85,580 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
9,590 |
3.71 |
1.25 |
$ 41.03 |
$ 85,340 |
| Napa, CA |
130 |
1.84 |
0.62 |
$ 40.81 |
$ 84,890 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA |
3,870 |
3.44 |
1.16 |
$ 40.80 |
$ 84,860 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:
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.
(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
United States Department of Labor
