Occupation · SOC 47-2151

Pipelayers: pay and where the jobs are

What pipelayers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.

BLS May 2025 data · methodology

National pay, May 2025

$49,000 median annual wage

Mean (average) annual wage
$54,700
Median hourly wage
$23.56
Mean hourly wage
$26.30
Employment
33,050

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2151.

Check your pay

See where your pay falls among pipelayers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.

Pay is

Enter your pay to see where it falls.

Use these numbers

How much do pipelayers make?

The median annual wage for pipelayers was $49,000 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $37,730 and the highest-paid 10% more than $80,170. As an hourly rate, the median is $23.56. About 33,050 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Wisconsin ($86,870), Washington ($82,450) and Minnesota ($81,980). Wisconsin also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.

Pay ladder

What each step of the pay range for pipelayers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.

Pipelayers: pay at each percentile
StepAnnualHourlyMonthly grossMonthly after federal tax & FICA
10th percentile$37,730$18.14$3,144$2,708
25th percentile$43,980$21.15$3,665$3,126
Median$49,000$23.56$4,083$3,463
75th percentile$61,400$29.52$5,117$4,293
90th percentile$80,170$38.55$6,681$5,436

Pipelayers: pay by state

45 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.

1

Wisconsin

$70,455 take-home in national prices

2

Minnesota

$62,959 take-home in national prices

3

Indiana

$62,631 take-home in national prices

Where a median pipelayer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.

Annual wages by state, May 2025, with after-tax and price-adjusted estimates
StateEmploymentMedian10th pct.90th pct.Median after tax*In national prices†
Wisconsin350$86,870$69,600$98,520$66,295$70,455
Washington1,050$82,450$61,010$101,310$65,690$61,385
Minnesota510$81,980$66,620$101,360$62,091$62,959
New Jersey400$78,830$53,020$106,890$60,934$56,003
California1,420$76,180$50,650$108,790$58,563$52,893
Indiana800$73,580$38,400$95,180$58,452$62,631
MassachusettsNot published$72,770$56,620$86,560$56,270$53,207
Ohio1,160$71,560$46,840$91,540$57,648$62,138
New York250$70,370$44,790$112,860$54,797$50,775
Oregon620$64,230$48,870$83,200$49,104$47,507
Nevada450$63,570$33,280$90,690$53,258$53,270
Arizona480$62,740$46,990$73,820$51,417$51,071
Michigan180$61,560$52,140$86,120$49,278$51,215
Colorado790$59,740$46,930$76,940$47,998$46,577
Kentucky60$58,820$52,120$61,870$47,501$52,686
Idaho280$58,650$38,990$73,340$47,305$49,537
DelawareNot published$58,240$46,700$71,060$46,187$46,276
Maryland650$55,640$48,270$62,690$44,610$42,502
District of Columbia110$55,470$37,350$67,900$44,588$40,571
Iowa280$53,990$46,940$63,660$44,161$50,319
New Hampshire210$53,870$37,280$82,510$45,465$43,647
Utah530$52,000$47,840$60,510$42,175$42,659
Maine110$50,980$44,320$73,380$41,124$42,374
South Dakota300$50,650$36,560$60,300$42,877$48,402
Illinois280$49,590$41,760$62,490$39,716$39,732
Virginia1,080$48,700$38,130$61,140$39,324$38,895
Montana80$48,080$47,480$75,420$39,309$41,533
North Dakota170$47,810$47,200$59,240$40,595$45,634
Kansas240$47,390$44,720$58,280$38,413$42,649
Florida4,050$47,260$37,620$58,450$40,153$38,828
North Carolina3,830$47,220$37,870$59,280$38,746$41,077
Georgia1,890$46,220$35,600$61,820$37,760$39,214
Tennessee810$46,020$35,810$59,590$39,157$42,622
Texas5,010$45,620$37,030$56,730$38,836$40,013
New Mexico190$45,550$38,000$55,830$37,788$40,980
Oklahoma530$45,190$37,120$53,300$37,002$42,123
South Carolina670$45,180$37,480$58,920$37,802$40,323
Alabama460$44,550$29,130$55,410$36,147$40,695
Nebraska570$44,470$37,110$62,550$36,768$40,806
LouisianaNot published$44,340$35,200$60,180$36,863$41,792
Mississippi320$41,900$31,610$67,010$34,903$40,140
Pennsylvania590$41,600$41,600$75,330$34,299$35,153
West Virginia180$40,440$31,660$58,680$33,616$37,561
Arkansas430$37,650$31,570$44,760$31,526$36,263
Puerto Rico180$25,620$22,150$35,200——

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 47-2151. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).

Sources

  1. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.