Pipelayers
SOC 47-2151 · 2024-2034
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.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $78,244per year
- Projected openings
- 1,070
- Projected change
- 0%
- Usually needs
- No formal educational credential
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Operation and Control
- Critical Thinking
- Operations Monitoring
- Speaking
- Quality Control Analysis
- Active Listening
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $84,502 | 260 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $81,199 | 140 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $80,746 | 100 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $78,265 | 210 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $61,383 | 80 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $49,298 | 90 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $52,022
- A quarter earn under
- $63,546
- Half earn under
- $78,244
- Three quarters earn under
- $97,122
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $111,737
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $74,803 | 48,620 | +8.6% |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $48,407 | 2,950 | +7.7% |
| Construction Laborers | $61,903 | 111,420 | +10.2% |
| Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | $56,716 | 3,350 | +15.6% |
| Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall | $50,163 | 2,690 | +3.1% |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | $122,932 | 1,220 | +7.1% |