Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Also called: Pipefitter Helper, Plumber Helper, Plumbing Apprentice, Plumbing HelperHelp plumbers, pipefitters, steamfitters, or pipelayers by performing duties requiring less skill. Duties include using, supplying, or holding materials or tools, and cleaning work area and equipment.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 15 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 11.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 12.8 hires for every 10 job openings in construction, which employs about 96% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.12.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $37,440 | $30,330 to $44,080 | 770 |
| Alaska | $47,290 | $47,290 to $47,990 | 100 |
| Arizona | $47,990 | $37,800 to $57,320 | 460 |
| Arkansas | $37,670 | $35,470 to $41,850 | 330 |
| California | $47,130 | $41,070 to $54,870 | 2,500 |
| Colorado | $45,030 | $39,980 to $49,460 | 240 |
| Connecticut | $38,930 | $34,010 to $44,290 | 160 |
| Delaware | $36,070 | $34,370 to $41,580 | 140 |
| District of Columbia | $45,440 | $38,410 to $45,540 | not published |
| Florida | $37,560 | $35,360 to $44,410 | 4,500 |
| Georgia | $37,730 | $36,060 to $43,380 | 2,100 |
| Hawaii | $52,000 | $39,480 to $59,290 | 180 |
| Idaho | $40,120 | $39,480 to $47,290 | not published |
| Illinois | $38,300 | $38,290 to $46,430 | not published |
| Indiana | $42,240 | $34,520 to $48,340 | 390 |
| Iowa | $37,870 | $33,960 to $47,710 | 350 |
| Kansas | $40,540 | $36,880 to $46,360 | 320 |
| Kentucky | $43,330 | $37,600 to $46,680 | 960 |
| Louisiana | $37,380 | $34,550 to $45,190 | 2,010 |
| Maine | $48,410 | $41,210 to $51,710 | not published |
| Maryland | $46,170 | $38,880 to $53,460 | 970 |
| Massachusetts | $44,340 | $43,690 to $48,680 | not published |
| Michigan | $42,810 | $37,990 to $48,220 | 270 |
| Mississippi | $37,440 | $31,200 to $39,550 | 400 |
| Missouri | $34,630 | $31,250 to $38,400 | 280 |
| Montana | $41,420 | $37,440 to $43,790 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $44,550 | $42,650 to $44,800 | 70 |
| Nevada | $41,100 | $34,280 to $55,900 | 350 |
| New Hampshire | $46,030 | $36,270 to $47,450 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $44,360 | $42,200 to $48,820 | 760 |
| New Mexico | $40,100 | $36,620 to $44,460 | 400 |
| New York | $52,000 | $38,730 to $65,950 | 4,840 |
| North Carolina | $43,710 | $38,370 to $46,540 | 3,070 |
| Ohio | $45,760 | $38,980 to $54,500 | 1,090 |
| Oklahoma | $40,080 | $35,600 to $47,450 | 740 |
| Oregon | $44,800 | $42,210 to $46,110 | 210 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,150 | $37,590 to $44,620 | 920 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,560 | $22,890 to $27,840 | 460 |
| South Carolina | $39,450 | $36,830 to $44,740 | 1,090 |
| South Dakota | $36,500 | $32,000 to $38,400 | 210 |
| Tennessee | $44,550 | $38,640 to $47,350 | 1,100 |
| Texas | $41,950 | $37,370 to $46,720 | 7,210 |
| Utah | $43,380 | $40,220 to $47,790 | 390 |
| Vermont | $37,440 | $37,440 to $38,420 | 140 |
| Virginia | $38,190 | $35,580 to $45,260 | 1,640 |
| Washington | $56,140 | $45,250 to $67,830 | 600 |
| West Virginia | $35,930 | $29,020 to $37,090 | 130 |
| Wisconsin | $41,670 | $33,010 to $51,050 | 450 |
| Wyoming | $45,250 | $39,040 to $50,800 | 40 |
Nationally: $42,360. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on none of its 15 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Mount brackets and hangers on walls and ceilings to hold pipes, and set sleeves or inserts to provide support for pipes. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut pipe and lift up to fitters. | Not published |
| Not much | Fit or assist in fitting valves, couplings, or assemblies to tanks, pumps, or systems, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Measure, cut, thread and assemble new pipe, placing the assembled pipe in hangers or other supports. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform rough-ins, repair and replace fixtures and water heaters, and locate, repair, or remove leaking or broken pipes. | Not published |
| Not much | Requisition tools and equipment, select type and size of pipe, and collect and transport materials and equipment to work site. | Not published |
See all 15 tasks
| Not much | Assist pipe fitters in the layout, assembly, and installation of piping for air, ammonia, gas, and water systems. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble and remove damaged or worn pipe. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean shop, work area, and machines, using solvent and rags. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut or drill holes in walls or floors to accommodate the passage of pipes. | Not published |
| Not much | Excavate and grade ditches, and lay and join pipe for water and sewer service. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill pipes with sand or resin to prevent distortion, and hold pipes during bending and installation. | Not published |
| Not much | Immerse pipe in chemical solution to remove dirt, oil, and scale. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and renew steam traps. | Not published |
| Not much | Install gas burners to convert furnaces from wood, coal, or oil. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 0 of the 15 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 15 tasks fall under 13 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #36 Purchase goods or services
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perform general construction or extraction activities | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Cut materials | |||
| Install plumbing or piping equipment or systems | |||
| Maintain facilities or equipment | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects |
Show all 13 activities
| Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Assemble equipment or components | |||
| Build structures | |||
| Drill holes in earth or materials |
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 2,700 moves out
- 1 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 7%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 3 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 4 Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters Moderate +6.8% 4%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 1,801 moves in
- 1 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 4 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 5 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 6% less than high school
- 27% postsecondary certificate
- 9% some college
- 10% master's
- 49% not published
O*NET marks 49% of the answers as too uncertain to publish, so the parts shown don't add up to 100%.
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 30% less than high school
- 47% high school
- 17% some college
- 1% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
- 1% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades” · 300 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Helpers, construction trades”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/47-3015.00