Pipefitter
Skilled trades
Pipefitters install and maintain high-pressure industrial piping systems — licensed work with safety-critical stakes in power plants, refineries, and commercial buildings.
- BLS median pay
- $62,970 (May 2024)
- Job outlook
- 4% growth, 2024-34
- Training path
- Apprenticeship, 4-5 years
- Entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Apprenticeship
- Physical demand
- High
- Category
- Skilled trades
- AI resilience
- Very strong
Why This Role Is More Resilient
This career scores very highly on AI resilience. It combines hands-on work, safety accountability, site-specific skills, and physical presence in ways that make remote or automated substitution very difficult.
Best For
People who want strong union wages and enjoy precision mechanical work in industrial or commercial settings.
Avoid If
Industrial job sites, confined spaces, and working with high-pressure systems sound dangerous rather than interesting.
First Step to Research
Contact UA (United Association) Local pipefitter apprenticeship programs in your area — separate from plumber apprenticeships.
How to Start: First Jobs, Common Mistakes, and Fit
Distilled from how working people and job postings describe the entry path. Use it for direction, then verify licensing, pay, and program details locally.
First job titles to search
Entry roles often aren't posted under "Pipefitter." Search and apply under these titles too:
- Pipefitter apprentice
- Steamfitter apprentice
- Pipefitter helper
- Pipe welder helper
- Industrial piping apprentice
- Sprinkler fitter apprentice
Common beginner mistakes to avoid
- Searching only "Pipefitter" and missing the real beginner titles: Pipefitter apprentice, Steamfitter apprentice, Pipefitter helper, Pipe welder helper.
- Paying for training before verifying local employer demand and official eligibility.
- Assuming national wage data equals local first-year pay.
- Buying tools, products, equipment, or supplies before receiving a real list.
- Ignoring schedule, commute, physical strain, and first-setting realities.
Signs this could be a good fit
- You can tolerate physical work and a multi-year learning ladder.
- You like learning by watching and doing.
- You can be punctual, safe, coachable, and humble.
- You can handle jobsite discomfort and changing locations.
Warning signs it may not be
- You need immediate full wages and cannot handle apprentice/helper pay.
- You cannot reliably commute or handle physical jobsite work.
- Local paths require expensive school with weak employer demand.
- You dislike being supervised closely while learning.
What This Pays in Your State
Pipefitter salary & licensing by state
Real state and metro wages, license steps, and where to train as a pipefitter in every state we cover:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Sources and Verification
Pay, education, training, and outlook data sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook: Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters (shared SOC with plumber). Verified 2026-06-13. Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 47-2152 / Occupational Information Network (O*NET) 47-2152.04.
View BLS Occupational Outlook · View O*NET Profile
National median pay is a starting point only. State licensing, local wages, training costs, clinical placement rates, and local employer demand vary. Always verify with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, state licensing boards, and local training providers before making a decision.