SOC 47-2151.00

    Pipelayers

    Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains.

    Median pay
    $49,000
    Growth
    -3.1%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    2,100
    Typical education
    No formal credential

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $37,730
    Median
    $49,000
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $80,170
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    33,050 people work in this occupation.

    What pipelayers do

    Job Zone 2: Some preparation

    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.

    Usually a high school diploma; some on-the-job training or experience.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R) · strongest
    100 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    24 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    5 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    2 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    42 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code RCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Getting Information
    76
    Handling and Moving Objects
    71
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    68
    Controlling Machines and Processes
    68
    Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
    65
    Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
    64
    Performing General Physical Activities
    64
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    63
    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    62
    Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
    59
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Operation and Control
    • Active Listening
    • Coordination
    • Critical Thinking
    • Operations Monitoring
    • Quality Control Analysis
    • Speaking
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Time Management

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
    • Public Safety and Security
    • Engineering and Technology
    • Mechanical
    • Administration and Management
    • English Language
    • Production and Processing
    • Design
    • Education and Training
    • Mathematics

    Abilities

    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
    • Control Precision
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Static Strength
    • Depth Perception
    • Extent Flexibility
    • Finger Dexterity
    • Information Ordering
    • Manual Dexterity
    • Multilimb Coordination

    Work styles

    • Dependability
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cautiousness
    • Perseverance
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Self-Control
    • Self-Confidence

    Also called

    Cast Iron Drain Pipe Layer · Drain Layer · Drain Tiler · Pipe Assembly Worker · Pipe Caulker · Pipe Connector · Pipe Cutter · Pipe Fitter · Pipe Installer · Pipe Layer

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What pipelayers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Licenses by state

    40 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

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    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 6, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.