• Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2022

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.

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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)
427,920	1.1 %	$ 31.34	$ 65,190	0.6 %

Percentile wage estimates for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 17.91	$ 22.42	$ 28.89	$ 37.96	$ 48.65
Annual Wage (2)	$ 37,250	$ 46,630	$ 60,090	$ 78,960	$ 101,190

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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	311,030	13.27	$ 31.76	$ 66,070
Utility System Construction	15,350	2.75	$ 30.54	$ 63,520
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation)	10,900	0.20	$ 29.44	$ 61,240
Nonresidential Building Construction	10,210	1.25	$ 34.71	$ 72,190
Employment Services	8,190	0.21	$ 25.16	$ 52,340

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors	311,030	13.27	$ 31.76	$ 66,070
Natural Gas Distribution	6,790	6.19	$ 36.53	$ 75,980
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	950	3.02	$ 38.30	$ 79,660
Water, Sewage and Other Systems	1,570	2.83	$ 24.93	$ 51,860
Utility System Construction	15,350	2.75	$ 30.54	$ 63,520

Top paying industries for Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Spectator Sports	90	0.07	$ 47.64	$ 99,100
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	440	0.43	$ 45.11	$ 93,830
Educational Support Services	50	0.02	$ 43.53	$ 90,540
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	260	0.06	$ 43.35	$ 90,170
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	1,390	0.37	$ 43.03	$ 89,510

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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	40,260	2.28	0.79	$ 35.75	$ 74,360
Texas	37,980	2.92	1.01	$ 26.58	$ 55,280
Florida	26,930	2.92	1.01	$ 23.48	$ 48,830
New York	26,670	2.93	1.01	$ 40.10	$ 83,410
Pennsylvania	14,840	2.55	0.88	$ 32.93	$ 68,500

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)
Louisiana	9,230	5.00	1.73	$ 28.30	$ 58,860
Rhode Island	2,170	4.53	1.56	$ 31.64	$ 65,800
Wyoming	1,110	4.13	1.43	$ 26.33	$ 54,760
Montana	2,020	4.12	1.42	$ 33.39	$ 69,450
Massachusetts	14,500	4.06	1.40	$ 39.43	$ 82,020

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	14,320	2.43	0.84	$ 42.30	$ 87,980
Alaska	810	2.65	0.92	$ 41.74	$ 86,820
New Jersey	8,760	2.13	0.74	$ 40.46	$ 84,150
New York	26,670	2.93	1.01	$ 40.10	$ 83,410
Massachusetts	14,500	4.06	1.40	$ 39.43	$ 82,020

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	25,180	2.74	0.95	$ 42.38	$ 88,140
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	11,830	1.94	0.67	$ 34.45	$ 71,650
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	11,190	2.53	0.88	$ 43.17	$ 89,790
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH	11,180	4.13	1.43	$ 39.70	$ 82,580
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	10,490	2.76	0.95	$ 26.94	$ 56,040
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	9,680	3.17	1.10	$ 28.24	$ 58,740
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	8,070	3.63	1.26	$ 28.48	$ 59,230
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	7,750	2.56	0.89	$ 30.71	$ 63,880
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	7,510	2.71	0.94	$ 34.76	$ 72,290
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	6,340	2.42	0.84	$ 24.64	$ 51,250

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	430	12.47	4.31	$ 35.69	$ 74,230
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA	1,010	11.13	3.85	$ 32.24	$ 67,070
Lake Charles, LA	950	10.07	3.48	$ 31.40	$ 65,320
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS	1,340	8.99	3.11	$ 26.28	$ 54,650
Houma-Thibodaux, LA	680	8.74	3.02	$ 22.37	$ 46,540
Baton Rouge, LA	3,130	8.12	2.81	$ 31.49	$ 65,500
St. Cloud, MN	770	7.71	2.67	$ 32.96	$ 68,560
The Villages, FL	270	7.49	2.59	$ 22.07	$ 45,900
Homosassa Springs, FL	240	7.01	2.42	$ 20.20	$ 42,010
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	1,010	6.66	2.30	$ 30.39	$ 63,200