Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023

47-2011 Boilermakers

Construct, assemble, maintain, and repair stationary steam boilers and boiler house auxiliaries. Align structures or plate sections to assemble boiler frame tanks or vats, following blueprints. Work involves use of hand and power tools, plumb bobs, levels, wedges, dogs, or turnbuckles. Assist in testing assembled vessels. Direct cleaning of boilers and boiler furnaces. Inspect and repair boiler fittings, such as safety valves, regulators, automatic-control mechanisms, water columns, and auxiliary machines.

National estimates for Boilermakers
Industry profile for Boilermakers
Geographic profile for Boilermakers

National estimates for Boilermakers:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Boilermakers:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
11,130	4.6 %	$ 35.50	$ 73,840	1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Boilermakers:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 23.81	$ 29.43	$ 34.20	$ 41.00	$ 49.10
Annual Wage (2)	$ 49,510	$ 61,220	$ 71,140	$ 85,270	$ 102,120

Industry profile for Boilermakers:

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Boilermakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors	2,340	0.10	$ 35.47	$ 73,770
Utility System Construction	2,280	0.40	$ 37.14	$ 77,250
Nonresidential Building Construction	1,440	0.17	$ 38.02	$ 79,090
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance	830	0.36	$ 36.29	$ 75,490
Other Specialty Trade Contractors	510	0.07	$ 28.15	$ 58,550

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Boilermakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction	2,280	0.40	$ 37.14	$ 77,250
Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance	830	0.36	$ 36.29	$ 75,490
Nonresidential Building Construction	1,440	0.17	$ 38.02	$ 79,090
Ship and Boat Building	220	0.14	$ 31.15	$ 64,790
Building Equipment Contractors	2,340	0.10	$ 35.47	$ 73,770

Top paying industries for Boilermakers:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing	110	0.10	$ 54.17	$ 112,660
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	280	0.02	$ 45.74	$ 95,140
Facilities Support Services	80	0.04	$ 40.82	$ 84,900
Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors	350	0.04	$ 40.09	$ 83,380
Rail Transportation	160	0.09	$ 38.89	$ 80,890

Geographic profile for Boilermakers:

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

Map of employment of boilermakers by state, May 2023

States with the highest employment level in Boilermakers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Texas	2,270	0.17	2.29	$ 34.26	$ 71,270
Louisiana	1,900	1.03	14.01	$ 35.74	$ 74,340
Michigan	720	0.17	2.27	$ 38.55	$ 80,180
Pennsylvania	520	0.09	1.20	$ 42.64	$ 88,690
South Carolina	470	0.21	2.90	$ 39.87	$ 82,940

Map of location quotient of boilermakers by state, May 2023

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

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Louisiana	1,900	1.03	14.01	$ 35.74	$ 74,340
South Carolina	470	0.21	2.90	$ 39.87	$ 82,940
Wyoming	60	0.21	2.90	$ 38.70	$ 80,490
Montana	100	0.19	2.66	$ 36.44	$ 75,800
Alabama	350	0.17	2.31	$ 34.25	$ 71,230

Map of annual mean wages of boilermakers by state, May 2023

Top paying states for Boilermakers:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
California	280	0.02	0.21	$ 48.74	$ 101,380
Minnesota	90	0.03	0.40	$ 46.48	$ 96,680
Illinois	150	0.03	0.35	$ 45.31	$ 94,250
Washington	140	0.04	0.55	$ 42.95	$ 89,340
West Virginia	50	0.07	0.99	$ 42.69	$ 88,800

Map of employment of boilermakers by area, May 2023

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Boilermakers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Baton Rouge, LA	1,470	3.80	51.80	$ 37.14	$ 77,260
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	900	0.28	3.85	$ 35.69	$ 74,220
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	430	2.79	38.07	$ 35.29	$ 73,390
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	350	0.19	2.54	$ 40.95	$ 85,170
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	250	0.09	1.21	$ 42.14	$ 87,660
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	250	0.03	0.36	$ 40.38	$ 83,990
Pittsburgh, PA	210	0.19	2.63	$ 42.15	$ 87,660
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	200	0.27	3.67	$ 26.95	$ 56,050
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	110	0.21	2.89	$ 36.67	$ 76,270
Corpus Christi, TX	100	0.55	7.48	$ 32.67	$ 67,960

Map of location quotient of boilermakers by area, May 2023

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

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Baton Rouge, LA	1,470	3.80	51.80	$ 37.14	$ 77,260
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX	430	2.79	38.07	$ 35.29	$ 73,390
Lake Charles, LA	60	0.71	9.68	$ 33.12	$ 68,890
Gulfport-Biloxi-Pascagoula, MS	80	0.55	7.51	$ 30.05	$ 62,490
Corpus Christi, TX	100	0.55	7.48	$ 32.67	$ 67,960
Lafayette, LA	60	0.29	4.01	$ 31.42	$ 65,340
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX	900	0.28	3.85	$ 35.69	$ 74,220
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	200	0.27	3.67	$ 26.95	$ 56,050
Mobile, AL	40	0.23	3.20	$ 26.17	$ 54,440
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI	110	0.21	2.89	$ 36.67	$ 76,270

Map of annual mean wages of boilermakers by area, May 2023

Top paying metropolitan areas for Boilermakers:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	70	0.03	0.47	$ 48.93	$ 101,770
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	50	0.03	0.39	$ 48.07	$ 99,990
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	100	0.02	0.29	$ 47.54	$ 98,880
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	250	0.09	1.21	$ 42.14	$ 87,660
Pittsburgh, PA	210	0.19	2.63	$ 42.15	$ 87,660
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	350	0.19	2.54	$ 40.95	$ 85,170
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	60	0.04	0.52	$ 40.41	$ 84,050
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA	250	0.03	0.36	$ 40.38	$ 83,990
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY	60	0.13	1.76	$ 37.36	$ 77,710
Baton Rouge, LA	1,470	3.80	51.80	$ 37.14	$ 77,260

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Boilermakers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area	50	0.28	3.78	$ 20.62	$ 42,890
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	50	0.30	4.08	$ 38.09	$ 79,240
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	30	0.25	3.47	$ 32.79	$ 68,200

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

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	50	0.30	4.08	$ 38.09	$ 79,240
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area	50	0.28	3.78	$ 20.62	$ 42,890
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	30	0.25	3.47	$ 32.79	$ 68,200

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Boilermakers:

Nonmetropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
West Kentucky nonmetropolitan area	50	0.30	4.08	$ 38.09	$ 79,240
Northwest Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area	30	0.25	3.47	$ 32.79	$ 68,200
South Georgia nonmetropolitan area	50	0.28	3.78	$ 20.62	$ 42,890

About May 2023 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 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2023 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2024