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The national median salary for Pipelayers is $49,005 per year ($23.56/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $43,992 and $61,402 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $80,184 per year. There are approximately 33,050 pipelayers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
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.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-4.1%
Slower than average
Annual openings
2K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
34K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
No formal educational credential
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Utility System Construction
NAICS 237100
13K
$48,530
Other Specialty Trade Contractors
NAICS 238900
6K
$49,340
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
NAICS 999300
6K
$49,680
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction
NAICS 237300
2K
$48,060
Building Equipment Contractors
NAICS 238200
2K
$59,280
Wage range across top 5 industries: $48,060 to $59,280 (23% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$18.14
$37,731
P25
$21.15
$43,992
P50MEDIAN
$23.56
$49,005
P75
$29.52
$61,402
P90
$38.55
$80,184
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average pipelayers salary?
The national median salary for Pipelayers is $49,005 per year ($23.56/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $43,992 and $61,402 annually.
How much do top-earning pipelayers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Pipelayers is $80,184 per year ($38.55/hr). The 75th percentile is $61,402 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for pipelayers?
Entry-level Pipelayers (10th percentile) earn approximately $37,731 per year ($18.14/hr). The 25th percentile is $43,992 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.