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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2018

47-2151 Pipelayers

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. Excludes "Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers" (51-4121).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
38,070 3.0 % $20.91 $43,500 1.0 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $12.92 $15.20 $18.54 $25.28 $33.14
Annual Wage (2) $26,870 $31,610 $38,560 $52,590 $68,930


Industry profile for this occupation: Top

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

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 16,130 3.04 $20.66 $42,980
Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OES Designation) 7,630 0.14 $20.08 $41,770
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 3,920 0.57 $20.06 $41,730
Building Equipment Contractors 3,630 0.17 $24.67 $51,320
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 2,270 0.66 $20.68 $43,020

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Utility System Construction 16,130 3.04 $20.66 $42,980
Land Subdivision 320 0.81 $18.17 $37,780
Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction 2,270 0.66 $20.68 $43,020
Other Specialty Trade Contractors 3,920 0.57 $20.06 $41,730
Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 650 0.56 $19.75 $41,090

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 140 0.04 $29.97 $62,330
Building Equipment Contractors 3,630 0.17 $24.67 $51,320
Natural Gas Distribution 200 0.18 $24.46 $50,880
Support Activities for Mining (8) (8) $23.91 $49,730
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 40 (7) $23.75 $49,400


Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

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





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Texas 4,790 0.40 1.50 $16.48 $34,280
Florida 3,660 0.42 1.62 $19.26 $40,060
California 3,160 0.19 0.71 $25.41 $52,850
North Carolina 2,670 0.61 2.32 $16.40 $34,120
Alabama 2,360 1.21 4.61 $16.44 $34,200




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

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
North Dakota 540 1.30 4.94 $25.64 $53,330
West Virginia 890 1.28 4.86 $22.42 $46,620
Alabama 2,360 1.21 4.61 $16.44 $34,200
North Carolina 2,670 0.61 2.32 $16.40 $34,120
Oklahoma 930 0.59 2.22 $17.93 $37,300




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska 30 0.10 0.38 $35.48 $73,810
Illinois 330 0.06 0.21 $33.85 $70,400
Massachusetts 510 0.14 0.54 $33.67 $70,020
New Jersey 390 0.10 0.36 $31.18 $64,850
Minnesota 680 0.24 0.90 $30.98 $64,440





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 1,680 0.62 2.37 $18.52 $38,530
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,100 0.37 1.40 $16.14 $33,580
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 980 0.81 3.07 $16.84 $35,030
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 880 0.70 2.65 $17.38 $36,150
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 850 0.24 0.90 $16.70 $34,740
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 740 0.23 0.89 $18.75 $39,000
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 730 0.08 0.29 $30.06 $62,520
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 670 0.11 0.42 $28.45 $59,170
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 640 0.43 1.65 $21.74 $45,220
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 610 0.30 1.13 $21.32 $44,340




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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville, AL 90 2.03 7.71 $15.67 $32,600
Dothan, AL 90 1.49 5.65 $14.89 $30,970
Panama City, FL 90 1.13 4.29 $19.33 $40,210
Decatur, AL 60 1.13 4.29 $19.66 $40,890
Jacksonville, NC 50 1.12 4.24 $17.31 $36,010
Jackson, TN 70 1.11 4.24 $21.53 $44,770
Huntsville, AL 250 1.11 4.23 $16.13 $33,550
Birmingham-Hoover, AL 560 1.09 4.14 $15.76 $32,770
Gadsden, AL 40 1.05 4.01 $17.97 $37,370
Lewiston-Auburn, ME 50 1.04 3.94 $20.53 $42,690




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 330 0.12 0.46 $36.56 $76,040
Duluth, MN-WI 40 0.28 1.07 $34.37 $71,490
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI 190 0.04 0.16 $34.07 $70,860
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 250 0.21 0.79 $32.31 $67,210
Madison, WI 30 0.08 0.29 $31.82 $66,180
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 610 0.31 1.16 $31.78 $66,100
Green Bay, WI 70 0.41 1.56 $31.66 $65,840
Eugene, OR 30 0.22 0.84 $31.37 $65,240
Bremerton-Silverdale, WA 30 0.39 1.50 $31.36 $65,230
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 470 0.24 0.92 $30.34 $63,120

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 680 4.60 17.50 $22.94 $47,710
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 320 2.18 8.29 $15.77 $32,810
North Texas Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 280 1.03 3.91 $15.24 $31,710
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 240 0.98 3.71 $15.22 $31,660
Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 220 1.12 4.27 $14.16 $29,460

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 680 4.60 17.50 $22.94 $47,710
Northeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 320 2.18 8.29 $15.77 $32,810
Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 100 1.49 5.68 $16.76 $34,860
Northwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area 90 1.41 5.38 $19.80 $41,180
Coastal Plains Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area 180 1.21 4.60 $15.34 $31,910

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Southwest Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 40 0.35 1.34 $34.05 $70,820
South Central Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $30.05 $62,500
Northern Pennsylvania nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $28.30 $58,860
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $26.95 $56,060
Northeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area (8) (8) (8) $24.63 $51,240


About May 2018 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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(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 OES estimates and related information:

May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2018 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 29, 2019