Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC

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.

Also called: Pipefitter, Plumber, Sprinkler Fitter, Steamfitter, Drain Technician, Fire Sprinkler Service Technician, Pipe Welder, Plumbing Installer.

O*NET 47-2152.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $63,800; Middle half earn $50,190 to $85,110. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate; 43% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +4% · As fast as average; 504,500 jobs in 2024, projected 527,200. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Shut off steam, water, or other gases or liquids from pipe sections, using valve keys or wrenches.
Install underground storm, sanitary, or water piping systems, extending piping as needed to connect fixtures and plumbing.
Assemble pipe sections, tubing, or fittings, using couplings, clamps, screws, bolts, cement, plastic solvent, caulking, or soldering, brazing, or welding equipment.
Locate and mark the position of pipe installations, connections, passage holes, or fixtures in structures, using measuring instruments such as rulers or levels.
Cut, thread, or hammer pipes to specifications, using tools such as saws, cutting torches, pipe threaders, or pipe benders.
Lay out full scale drawings of pipe systems, supports, or related equipment, according to blueprints.
Plan pipe system layout, installation, or repair, according to specifications.
Review blueprints, building codes, or specifications to determine work details or procedures.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.5 / 5
Monitoring3.1 / 5
Speaking3.0 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.9 / 5
Active Listening2.9 / 5
Writing2.8 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction4.3 / 5
Mechanical4.3 / 5
Design3.8 / 5
Mathematics3.8 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
Administration and Management3.3 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative20
Artistic0
Social3
Enterprising0
Conventional45

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

sprinkler fitter · DE Sprinklermonteur/Sprinklermonteurin · FR installateur de systèmes d’extinction automatique à eau/installatrice de systèmes d’extinction automatique à eau
plumber · DE Gas- und Sanitärinstallateur/Gas- und Sanitärinstallateurin · FR plombier/plombière
pipe welder · DE Rohrleitungsbauer/Rohrleitungsbauerin · FR soudeur de tuyaux/soudeuse de tuyaux

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Pipe fitters (5214)3,700 employed
Plumbers and heating and ventilating installers and repairers (5315)153,700 employed
Welding trades (5213)49,800 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Japan

Japan classifies jobs in its own way. The closest category that names the same work is “配管従事者”, which may be narrower or broader than this occupation.

Median monthly pay: ¥317,000; Middle half earn ¥264,000 to ¥392,800 a month.
Workers in the category: 93,010; Regular employees in firms of ten or more.

Scheduled monthly pay before tax, excluding overtime and bonuses, so it is not comparable to the annual figures above. Source: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025, via e-Stat, under the Japanese Government Standard Terms of Use. The category match was made by hand.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.12. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2152).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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